Video: Letter warns people will be killed with deadly toxin

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SEATTLE – An alarming letter was sent to nearly a dozen Seattle bars threatening to kill people with ricin.

Seattle Police says it's taking the threat seriously and is working with the FBI to investigate.

Officers have collected all 11 letters sent to the bars. Everyone is hoping this is just a horrible prank.

At the Seattle Eagle Tuesday night, it was hard to miss the signs warning people to keep a close eye on their drinks after someone sent the mysterious letter threatening to poison patrons.

"It had a typed label on the front of it, it was taped to the front, no return address on it or anything," said bartender Michael Gilmore.

Gilmore got the letter Tuesday, in which the author writes: "I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin."

The letter does on to say people will die in "11 locations in the Capitol Hill vicinity. Each location will have at least five targets."

"Five people at 11 bars, that's 55 people," he said.

The content of the letter, which appears to target gay-friendly bars, is spreading quickly on Capitol Hill.

"It can happen on a Saturday night and in these bars there's 500 people in a bar and that's pretty awful," said Phil Pickens.

The author doesn't mince words when talking about death: "I expect them to die painfully while in hospital." And there is "no antidote, no salve for their unimaginable pain."

This isn't the first time ricin has been at the center of an investigation. In 2004, an autistic man was arrested for trying to make the deadly toxin in his Kirkland apartment.

Whoever wrote this letter, however, is after something else.

"It's a hate crime as far as I'm concerned. Even if the guy is not serious about doing it, it's a hate crime just for the threat, I think," said Gilmore

KING 5 News has learned the joint terrorism task force has not been called in at this point to investigate the ricin threats because at this point authorities consider this simply a threat and there is no indication actual ricin is involved.

Seattle Police Department Statement

On January 6, 2009 at approximately 1:51 p.m., officers responded to the first of several establishments in the Capitol Hill vicinity that received a threatening letter in the mail. Evidence has been seized and is currently being processed.

The Seattle Police Department takes this threat seriously. We are actively investigating and coordinating with the FBI and other federal partners. We encourage the community to be alert for suspicious activity and call that activity in to 911 immediately.