| By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
|
Posted on 03/19/2002 7:34:02 PM PST by pttttt
FBI 'knows US scientist who made anthrax'
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
20 February 2002
The FBI has identified the man behind last year's series of fatal anthrax mailings but is "dragging its feet" over bringing charges because the suspect is a former government scientist, it was claimed yesterday. Barbara Rosenberg, of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), said many scientists working in the field were aware of the suspect, who she said had been questioned at least twice by the authorities. She said the FBI was reluctant to arrest him because he knew government secrets.
She said the FBI had known of the suspect since October and added: "There are a number of insiders – government insiders – who know people in the anthrax field who have a common suspect. The FBI has questioned that person more than once. So it looks as though the FBI is taking that person very seriously." The FBI said the investigation had not been narrowed to one suspect. Five people died and 13 others were infected with anthrax after letters laced with the bacteria were sent to Tom Daschle, the Senate majority leader, another prominent politician and the media last autumn. Hoax letters were also sent. Among those who died were Bob Stevens, 63, a British-born picture editor
It has long been believed that the anthrax came from a US government laboratory. But Dr Rosenberg's comments – made at Princeton University and reported by the Trenton Times newspaper – are the most specific yet. The accusations, many of which are repeated on the FAS website, says the man may have worked at the US military laboratory near Washington that tested the letters, Fort Detrick, Maryland. Most of the genuine and many of the hoax letters were posted from near Trenton, New Jersey. Dr Rosenberg, director of the FAS chemical and biological arms control programme, said: "We can draw a likely portrait of the perpetrator as a former Fort Detrick scientist who is now working for a contractor in the Washington DC area.
"He had reason for travel to Florida, New Jersey and the United Kingdom. There is also the likelihood the perpetrator made the anthrax himself. He grew it ... and weaponised it at a private location where he had accumulated the equipment and the material.
"We know that the FBI is looking at this person and it's likely that he participated in the past in secret activities that the government would not like to see disclosed. And this raises the question of whether the FBI may be dragging its feet somewhat and may not be so anxious to bring to public light the person who did this.
"I know that there are insiders, working for the government, who know this person and who are worried that it could happen that some kind of quiet deal is made that he just disappears from view."
In an analysis of the anthrax mailings posted on the FAS website, Dr Rosenberg speculates that the suspect must be "angry at some bio- defence agency or component, and he is driven to demonstrate, in a spectacular way, his capabilities and the government's inability to respond.
"He is cocksure that he can get away with it. Does he know something that he believes to be sufficiently damaging to the United States to make him untouchable by the FBI?
An FBI spokeswoman said yesterday that the bureau's investigation was still continuing. "We have not narrowed it down to one person," she said. "We have spoken to a lot of people."
© 2001 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
Fair use - education and discussion only.
By Allah Rakah, arrested by the FBI in Hamilton Township on November 2, 2001, and held in custody without trial ever since. I wonder how much Atta told him? Probably not much, I'm afraid. The 9-11 operation was very well-organized from the standpoint of cell structure, and I doubt Saddam would have lowered his standards for the deterrence phase of the operation, given that it's his ass that's on the line.
Poor Barbara Nuthatch still needs to believe six impossible things before breakfast. But what do you expect from a Kyoto Protocol-worshipping, left-wing loon?
If the FBI really had the goods on someone, they would be behind bars. We would not take the chance that their next attack was done with the intent to kill thousands.
Much more likely is that the first attacks were a warning from Saddam Hussein. He proved he had the stuff, and that it was pre-positioned in our country. He used enough spores to kill hundreds of thousands of people, but chose to send it in sealed envelopes instead. A clearer warning could not be devised.
If that is what happened, you can bet he will use anthrax against us when we attack Iraq. Expect it to be used against Israel as well. Hope and pray that our intel is good enough to head it off.
They have the goods on Lon Horiuchi and the Waco killers, but they aren't behind bars, are they?
Sure there is, PRINCE OF LIES!
he's either on a "mac", or he's not "y2k compliant"...
Sure looks that way. She doth protest too much.
Ask Janet Reno and her boss about that. (If you want trouble sleeping at night, just imagine those two in charge right now...)
This case involves the possible use of weapons of mass destruction. If we knew who had the anthrax, no way would they be walking around free (although they might be held in some other country for follow-up questioning...).
Not necessarily. They could assign about, oh, half a million agents to watch him, on the hopes that he'll eventually screw up. It'd be pretty hard for him to whip up another batch o' death faster than the Feds could kick down the door.
Yeah, they could. What if our guys screwed up first?
| By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
|
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Gotta hand it to a guy named 'buncombe' who becomes a reporter. Most of them aren't that honest.