DENVER—About a pound of highly toxic sodium cyanide was found in a hotel room where a man’s body was discovered, authorities said Wednesday, but the FBI said there was no apparent connection to terrorism.
The Denver medical examiner was still awaiting test results to determine what killed Saleman Abdirahman Dirie, 29, of Ottawa. Police said they do not suspect foul play.
Dirie’s body was found Monday in The Burnsley All Suite Hotel about four blocks from the state Capitol. Investigators said he had been dead for several days.
“At this point we don’t have any nexus to terrorism,” FBI spokeswoman Kathy Wright said.
Fire officials said they found a bottle of the white powder in Dirie’s room, about a quart by volume. Police said Wednesday it was cyanide.
Cyanide is a fast-acting chemical that, when inhaled or ingested, prevents the body from processing oxygen. It’s used in manufacturing, metallurgy and pest extermination. It can also be mixed with certain acids to produce extremely lethal cyanide gas, according to the Department of Justice.
Investigators have not said why Dirie had cyanide or whether he worked in a job that would have involved using it. They also have not said how long Dirie had been in Denver or whether anyone had accompanied him.
The State Department said privacy laws prevented the release of any information about the type of visa Dirie may have had.
The Canadian Consulate in Denver said members of Dirie’s family were in Colorado to make arrangements to return his body to Canada.
Addirizuk Karod, manager of Ottawa’s Somali Centre for Family Services, told the Ottawa Sun that Dirie was a member of the city’s Somali community and had been to the center with friends.
Karod told the newspaper the Dirie family had left Somalia as refugees years ago and had become Canadian citizens.
Karod did not immediately return a message left by The Associated Press.
Hotel general manager Jason Ford declined to offer specific information about Dirie. He said other guests have been moved from the fourth floor, where Dirie’s room was, to avoid inconvenience from the investigation.
