AMI Employee says "It was Terrorist Attack" and Crits Palm Beach Officals

MIami Herald ^ | Today 10:39 Am PST

[somena2001]

AMI Employee Speaks Out About Anthrax Case The editorial director of American Media says his company knows how the man killed by anthrax was exposed to the disease. He is also making scathing comments about the Palm Beach County Health department.

Steve Coz, Editorial Director at American Media in Boca Raton, says that the company knows how the anthrax bacterium got into their building, and he says there is a connection to the terrorists.

Coz says that Bob Stevens, the employee who died of anthrax, was infected after exposure anthrax spores delivered to AMI in a letter. He said the letter came into the mailroom, and was opened by someone else who handed it to Stevens.

Because of vision problems, Stevens (pictured, left) then held the letter close to his face to look at it, according to Coz, giving the 63-year old a massive dose of anthrax spores.

The FBI (news - web sites) has asked American Media not to go into detail about the letter, and they currently deny any connection between the letter and the terrorists involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Coz says he believes there is a connection, particularly to Mohamed Atta, the hijacker believed to be the leader of the terrorists who resided in South Florida. "We know Mohamed Atta was within three miles of the [American Media] building, we know he was within a mile of Bob Stevens house. We know that the FBI is now going to local pharmacies to see if he did in fact get Cipro. We know that he showed up at a pharmacy with red hands. There are people in this area who have very direct recollection of seeing him. He worked out in a gym where some of our employees were." The FBI continues to say they have not made a direct connection between the terrorists and the anthrax cases.

A congressional source says that more anthrax spores have been found in the mailroom of American Media, but the FBI is not confirming that or any of the statements made by Steve Coz.

Steve Coz also blasted the Palm Beach County Health Department for not informing American Media about Bob Stevens illness earlier. He said, "We found out that Bob Stevens had anthrax on the Internet at 3:00 on Thursday -- we turned on the TV sets and it was all over television. We called the Palm Beach County Health Deparment from 3:00 to 7:30 leaving messages -- we must have left 20 messages. At 7:30 somebody finally picked up the phone."

[somena2001]

I looked and didn't see this article anywhere... Yank it - if its a duplicate

[Gordian Blade]

I keep asking myself, why AMI? WTC and the Pentagon were obvious targets. Was AMI just a target of opportunity, or a test case? Any thoughts out there?

[Clinton's a rapist]

It is frightening that the authorities have handled this so ineptly, risked so many lives, and been guilty of such duplicity and malfeasance in this situation. Thank God somebody has actually called them on it publicly at last.

[rolling_stone]

An important clue would be when and where the envelope was mailed/received, if it was after 9/11, someone other than Atta must have mailed it unless one of the virgins mailed it from paradise while she was waiting her turn....I hope some copycat group doesn't start mailing bacon bits to our Muslim friends..

[rolling_stone]

Another thought on the timing, when did the US contact the Iraqui's with the stay out or else warning, could it have been right after the anthrax was discovered? If it is linked to Atta it could cause a serious suspicion of Iraq's involvement.....

[rond]

Here's why I think AMI was targeted. The building's signage prominently proclaims it "American Media." If you're looking for symbols, it's a prominent one -- especially if you happen to be only a couple of miles from the building, as is the case with at least one of the Sept. 11 hijackers. The government continues to tell us there is no link between the 9.11 attacks and the anthrax cases (two distinct investigations as of this writing). Yet the government also tells there is "not enough" evidence to draw any conclusions. It cannot be both. I understand the need for people not to panic. But I understand more that the people are smarter, stronger and more savvy that their government believes. Thus, there is no "official" information. And some wonder why there is little faith in the monolith. Back to anthrax: American commerce is hit. So is American military. Then American Media. Now the National Broadcasting Co. What do you think?

[ffrancone]

We know Mohamed Atta was within three miles of the [American Media] building, we know he was within a mile of Bob Stevens house. We know that the FBI is now going to local pharmacies to see if he did in fact get Cipro. We know that he showed up at a pharmacy with red hands.

"red hands"?? Any idea what this means? Or is it a typo?

This is the most informative article on this issue I have seen yet. Was it postmarked before or after 9/11.

[EaglesUpForever]

The National Enquirer and the Sun may be known to most in the US as "Tabloid" but if you simply walk through a US supermarket you could get the impression that they're the most respectable papers on earth: they do in fact have huge circulation. I don't think it's the name, I think it's the stature of the papers, as well as the convenient proximity of the head office to the terrorists.

It's also completely possible that one of their articles ticked off Osama and/or Saddam, certainly at least Saddam (and I'd assume Osama as well) has been ridiculed in that paper.

Despite terrorists like Osama and Bin Laden pretending to be "religious", they are nothing but childish egomaniacs and would not be above attacking a paper for printing something bad against them.

Any known Enquirer/Sun stories on Osama prior to 9/11? Did they perhaps cover his intimate relations with sheep?

[justa-hairyape]

Got some second hand information that there has been 2 people who have contracted Anthrax within India. Both have died. This information was from someone who has family within India. If this turns out to be true, why the US Media blackout ?

[Clinton's a rapist]

Coz says he believes there is a connection, particularly to Mohamed Atta, the hijacker believed to be the leader of the terrorists who resided in South Florida. "We know Mohamed Atta was within three miles of the [American Media] building, we know he was within a mile of Bob Stevens house. We know that the FBI is now going to local pharmacies to see if he did in fact get Cipro. We know that he showed up at a pharmacy with red hands. There are people in this area who have very direct recollection of seeing him. He worked out in a gym where some of our employees were." The FBI continues to say they have not made a direct connection between the terrorists and the anthrax cases.

This is for anybody who is still deluded about who is behind the anthrax attacks.

[Lyford]

It is frightening that the authorities have handled this so ineptly, risked so many lives, and been guilty of such duplicity and malfeasance in this situation.

Could you elaborate, please, on what, exactly, spurs your characterization of the events?

[republicandiva]

Any known Enquirer/Sun stories on Osama prior to 9/11? Did they perhaps cover his intimate relations with sheep?

I heard some talk a few days ago that there had been an article in (I believe) the Enquirer a few months ago ridiculing Osama and the size (or lack of size) of his male private parts.

[Clinton's a rapist]

The fact that, despite the overwhelming spatial and temporal coincidences involved, the authorities encouraged us to believe for a week that this was an "isolated incident," had nothing to do with terrorism but most likely related to Bob Stevens' love of the Great Outdoors and drinking from mountain streams, the fact that his co-workers were allowed to continue to work in that building for that same week without any lockdown, the fact that the authorities are still, laughably, trying to pretend that these anthrax cases are "isolated incidents" and that "no evidence relates them to 9/11" (uh, try reading this article), the fact that the authorities have almost certainly had a pretty good idea that the anthrax was delivered by mail, and kept us in the dark about it, and are still keeping us in the dark about it. How's that for starters?

[Sir Percy Hot Spurs]

I read an article a couple of days after 9/11 that said when Atta got to the counter at the airport he was "Sweating Bullets"...Could he have had Anthrax...This was reported by the Airline person validating his ticket before the flight took off...Sir Percy Hot Spurs

[GWSTILL1]

I'll tell you exactly why they would target the Enquirer. Becasue next week every supermarket in the USA will scream hadlines of TERRORISTS ATTACK US WITH ANTHRAX.
Nothing like a little mass hysteria for all of the common folk who pick up these rags at the checkout lines.

[SarahW]

A middle-eartern mail shows up at the ticket counter "sweating bullets" and he isn't singled out for the security once-over?

Cheez louise, At least customs knows how to pull smugglers out of a line.

[SarahW]

Sounds like they decided to "tell the truth slowly." I really hate that kind of manipulation. Tell us all the truth at once.

[vrwc54]

Watching MSNBC today I was struck by a comment by Dr. Bob(?) about the anthrax attack. He said that he had received word sometime earlier that there are terrorists still in the US and that they had anthrax.

Also, the postal inspector said that there has never been a case in the past of the US mail being used to send bio-terrorism through it.

You put these two comments together and could jump to some obvious conclusions.

[L.N. Smithee]

"crits?"