The FBI determined a powdery substance found in a roll of quarters at a University of Texas dormitory was not ricin after initial state tests had indicated it was the potentially deadly poison, a spokesman said Sunday.The FBI tests did not identify the substance, but they came back negative for the poison that is extracted from castor beans, said San Antonio FBI spokesman Rene Salinas. ``There were no proteins in there to indicate it was in fact ricin,'' Salinas said. He said was unlikely further testing would be done. Texas health officials did ``just a quick test and they don't check for the proteins in ricin,'' Salinas said.
Salinas said it was unclear whether the FBI would continue its investigation into how the substance ended up with the coins. If it was put there as a joke, Salinas said ``it was an extremely bad joke.''