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Posted on 03/05/2005 5:06:15 PM PST by nwctwx
Edited on 03/29/2005 8:49:43 PM PST by Jim Robinson. [history]
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oh okay
"While subsequent tests on the substance proved negative, the appearance of the agent is now the target of a criminal investigation"
Material at Pentagon Mail Facility Tests Positive for Anthrax
WASHINGTON — A hazardous material found at the Pentagon's mail facility has tested positive for anthrax (search), U.S. defense officials told FOX News late Monday.
An alarm triggered by sensors detected the presence of a chemical or biological agent at the mail delivery building around 10:30 a.m. EST, a spokesman told reporters in the morning. Officials shut down the facility, which is in a separate structure on the northwest side of the Pentagon (search) grounds. It is to remain closed for at least another day.
About 175 people who work in the Pentagon's mail facility are being offered the option of antibiotics but defense officials said that by late afternoon, no one had experienced any signs or symptoms of exposure.
While subsequent tests on the substance proved negative, the appearance of the agent is now the target of a criminal investigation by the FBI (search), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (search) and local law enforcement. The substance will be further tested at a facility at Ft. Meade, Md. (search)
The Defense Department's mail facility is adjacent to the Pentagon itself, located near the heliport in a separate building. The Pentagon itself was functioning as normal.
This is not the first time anthrax has appeared in a government building. In October 2001, anthrax was sent to the office of then-Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont. A Senate building was closed for three months. Anthrax sent at the same time through five U.S. post offices ended up forcing them to shut down. Five people, including two postal workers, died and 17 others were sickened.
The Postal Service has since installed anthrax detection equipment in mail-handling facilities across the country in hopes of detecting any future attack early and preventing spread of the disease.
Former government bioterror expert Stephen Hatfill (search) was surveilled for months following the attacks and described by the Justice Department as a "person of interest." He sued former Attorney General John Ashcroft and other government officials for unspecified monetary damages, saying his reputation was ruined.
No one has ever been charged with the crimes.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,150423,00.html
If the further testing they're going to do shows up Anthrax, I hope this isn't the start of more to come.
Update
Signs of anthrax at two Pentagon mailrooms
3/14/2005, 7:23 p.m. ET
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sensors at two military mail facilities in the Washington area detected signs of anthrax on two pieces of mail Monday, but Pentagon officials said the mail had already been irradiated, rendering any anthrax inert.
Officials weren't sure if this was an attack. Additional tests and other sensors at the two facilities, one of them at the Pentagon and the other nearby, found no presence of the bacteria, which can be used as a biological weapon. There were no initial reports of illness.
The Pentagon's mail delivery site, which is separate from the main Pentagon building, was evacuated and shut down Monday after sensors triggered an alarm around 10:30 a.m. EST, spokesman Glenn Flood said. It was expected to remain closed until at least Tuesday while the investigation continued.
It was not clear when sensors at the second Defense Department mailroom were triggered Monday, and Pentagon officials only said a nearby satellite mail facility was closed. But firefighters in nearby Bailey's Crossroads, Va., reported that a military mailroom had been shut down after a hazardous material was detected, and no one was allowed to leave that building.
Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell said mail at both facilities were irradiated before arriving at either one. The radiation treatment would kill any anthrax bacteria, but sensors would still be able to detect it.
She had no information about the origin of the two pieces of mail.
About 175 people work at the Pentagon's mail facility, and another 100 may have been in contact with deliveries for the Pentagon, officials said.
Medical personnel took cultures from anyone who may have had contact with those deliveries, and those people were also offered a three-day course of antibiotics and told to watch for the signs of anthrax exposure: fever, sweats and chills.
Follow-up tests were being conducted at the U.S. Army Research Institute for Infectious Diseases at Fort Dietrich, Md., officials said. They would take two to three days to complete.
General operations at the Pentagon appeared unaffected.
Anthrax can be spread through the air or by skin contact. Officials noted that sometimes anthrax sensors can give false-positive results.
Several cases involving letters laced with killer substances remain unsolved.
In October 2001, someone sent anthrax in letters through the mail to media and government offices in Washington, Florida and elsewhere, raising fears of bioterrorism. Five people were killed and 17 more sickened.
In October 2003, two letters containing the poison ricin, sent to the Transportation Department and White House, were intercepted before they reached their destinations. The letters objected to new rules for long-haul truckers.
A small amount of ricin was discovered Feb. 2, 2004, on a mail-opening machine in the office suite of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. The discovery led to a shutdown of three Senate office buildings for several days, and about two dozen staffers and Capitol police officers underwent decontamination.
Jim Rob didn't mention Orvil being part of FR, so I would assume he wasn't.
Incredibly lame the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing within government agencies. Talk about a huge lack of communication - this one is gigantic! Predicting a mammoth backlash if another attack is found to have occurred due to border security complacency. There's been plenty of time wasted in which fixing the problem should have been a priority. I believe a majority of Americans know that the bandaids applied to this problem thus far don't even begin to cover the gaping holes that require emergency treatment.
Prop planes are always "more interesting."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1362765/posts
"Daily Terrorist Round-up Stories - March 14, 2005 (Several good ones today)"
3/14/05
Posted on 03/14/2005 3:32:22 PM PST by Straight Vermonter
I have a friend that lives in "Downtown Pagosa Springs". There is one switchback off long stretch. If you don't make it, you will go off a 100' cliff and hit a steep slope. There is a carcase of an old delivery van or truck that has been there for many years.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1362814/posts
"China's Huge Spy Network in U.S."
NewsMax ^ | 3/15/05 | Wes Vernon
Posted on 03/14/2005 5:00:04 PM PST by wagglebee
Hispanic commissioner suggests taxing international money orders to fund indigent health care
Task force urges North American security bloc
Blue Tongue Disease threatens Spain bullfights
That's a good point.
Indeed!
Thanks, Neosgirl.
Will check it out now.
"sending him new pin"
Sounds like it could be one of those scams we hear about.
Me too.
How are you??!!
It's SOOO good to see you! :-)
Converging U.S. Navy aircraft carrier groups in Middle East send strong message to Iran and Syria
Sudhir Chadda
Mar. 12, 2005
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is on the move in Atlantic Ocean and is possibly headed towards the Mediterranean Sea. The convergence of three carrier groups in the corridor of the Middle East will send very strong message to the Syrians and Iranians. There are indications that soon US is moving two more aircraft carrier battle groups to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. This will spell a formidable strike force for Iran and Syria who are in defiance on issues of Lebanon and Nuclear weapons development.
http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/1877.asp
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