Canadian Man Dead of Suspected Cyanide Poisoning in Denver's Burnsley Hotel

"'We initially turned the investigation over to the FBI, but after they examined the scene, they returned the case to DPD,' said Det. John White. "The death is suspicious for sure, but we will not know until the autopsy is completed tomorrow."

...With the DNC coming to town the FBI and police want to know whether the man had cyanide in his possession for perhaps a sinister reason."--MyFox Colorado (8-11-08)

CBS 4 (8-12-08) in Denver reports:

It has the makings of international intrigue. Less than two weeks before the Democratic National Convention a man has been found dead in a Denver hotel room with a container of what authorities initially suspect to be the deadly poison cyanide.

Adding to the intrigue is that the dead man, Saleman Abdirahman Dirie, 29, appears to be from outside the U.S. No passport was found on Dirie, who is believed to have entered the country from Canada.

A large container of a white powdery substance was found in the man's room on the fourth floor of the Burnsley Hotel at 10th and Grant.

...Denver police are leading the investigation of the man's death. The FBI and other governmental agencies, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force, are assisting in the probe. Hazardous materials assistance has included the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado National Guard.

FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis told CBS 4 that nothing so far has been found to link the case to terrorism or the coming convention. [Full Text]

Al Qaeda has taught its operatives "how to mix cyanide and other toxic chemicals into an oily paste to smear on door handles so that those who touched them would be killed by toxins coursing through their blood. This method...was to be used "against intelligence officers and other VIPs."