MAILED ANTHRAX FINALLY THE TRUTH?

Medium Rare articles | December 6, 2001 | Jim Rarey

[keri]

Whoa. I wasn't directing my comment about listening to Alibek at you, but at the AP report. All we have we get from reporters. Alibek is probably being honest; he doesn't know whether this is foreign or homegrown. I don't think anyone knows, or can answer that question yet.

Maybe the producers of the Ames spores came by the strain legitimately, but based on other reports I very seriously doubt that's the case.

I do think Alibek was talking about delivery here, because of comments he has made elsewhere.

[keri]

I forgot to tell you I understand the point about security. Obviously, Ames has fallen into the wrong hands. Personally, I believe the strain and our bio-technology was stolen by someone on the inside, and then sold for money.

[Medium Rare]

There are any number of possibilites as to how the Ames strain bacteria got into the wrong hands. That's just one of the possibilities.

However, getting a hold of Patrick's patented process is an entirely different thing. I don't think it could have been picked up just from observation at Pine Bluffs.

Getting the bacteria strain is only half way down the road to weaponized bacteria.

[keri]

I totally agree with everything in #43. It's just my bias that I believe in the competence of private anthrax researchers, and their ability to keep a military strain of anthrax out of the wrong hands. (I prefer a thief, and preferably one from Detrick, since that's my bet:-))

I'll be away from my terminal for a few days, but will check the thread when I return.

Thanks.

[Medium Rare]

I think your bias is based on faith because the record certainly doesn't support it.

Of course many of the so-called "private" organizations are really government proprietaries.

Hope you had a nice rest away from the addictive Internet.

[Dark Wing]

ping

[Dark Wing]

ping

[Thud]

The crucial point here is the alleged analysis indicating that the US method of aerolsolization was used, which is having so many spores per gram. That makes an American thief of US stocks of weaponized anthrax more likely than an Iraqi source.