Egyptian Sailor Dies in Brazil From Anthrax- Brazil Police

Reuters ^ | April 28, 2003

[Shermy]

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - A crew member of an Egyptian merchant ship has died in northern Brazil, almost certainly from anthrax, after opening a suitcase suspected of containing the substance which he was taking to Canada.

A spokesman for Brazilian federal police in the Amazon state of Para said on Monday an autopsy of the Egyptian man, whom he named as Ibrahim Saved Soliman Ibrahim, showed that he had died after vomiting, internal bleeding and multiple organ failure.

"He was the victim of anthrax," said Castro, adding that police were 90 percent certain that Ibrahim had died of anthrax.

Ibrahim died in the hotel were he was staying on April 11. Several health workers who found his body were taken to a hospital after becoming ill but are now out of danger.

Ibrahim had traveled to Brazil from Cairo to join his ship, the Wabi Alaras, which loaded bauxite in the Amazon to take to Canada.

"We imagine that this is about bioterrorism and Brazil was just used as a point of transfer," said Castro.

Ibrahim died before his ship sailed to Canada, where it was quarantined by authorities last week.

Canada was alerted about the ship through Interpol.

Castro said Ibrahim had been given the suitcase in Cairo by an unidentified person and was due to deliver it to somebody in Canada. But he doubted Ibrahim knew what the content of the bag was otherwise he most likely would not have opened it.

"He opened it because he was curious," Castro said.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, five people died in still-unsolved anthrax mailings.

[Shermy]

From a Brasilia newspaper:


http://www2.correioweb.com.br/cw/EDICAO_20030428/pri_bra_280403_112.htm?


CHEMICAL WEAPON Suspicion of terrorism The death of the Egyptian Ibrahim Sayed, in Port of Trumpets (Pará), can have been caused for anthrax. Finding of the contratest leaves in the end of this week Leonardo Sent Cavalcanti special Tabatinga (AM)? The death of the Egyptian Ibrahim Sayed Ibrahim, in Port of Trumpets (Pará), can have been caused for the bacillus of the anthrax.

Ibrahim passed badly in the ship where he worked, that he was anchored in the city. He did not have time of being helped. according to superintendent of Polícia Federal (PF) of Pará, Geraldo Araujo, everything points with respect to an infection for anthrax. finding of the Legal Medical Institute of Belém informed that it was victim of a generalized infection provoked for the substance?

Colleagues of Ibrahim had affirmed that it brought obtains an order to be taken to Canada. The luggage of the Egyptian is being analyzed for the Institute Evandro Chagas. The result of the examinations must be ready up to 2 of May. The body of the Egyptian was placed in a wooden ballot box protected by a steel plate and is in the IML of Belém. The boat where the Egyptian worked was withheld in the port of Halifax, in Canada, later that Brazil alerted the Canadian government on the contamination suspicion.

No member of the crew presented infection symptoms until the moment. Ibrahim arrived at Brazil of airplane and if he joined to the crew in Macapá. In the occasion, he did not present no indication to be sick.

[nicmarlo]

Shermy, I wonder if he touched this stuff, that's how it got into his system, rather than inhaled, as someone rejected the possibility of inhalation.....if his fingers had cuts, which they most likely did if he was a boatman.....that's how it got into his system. Or, touching food after touching whatever was in the suitcase...

[blam]

". Also aboard the Wadi Al Arab are 32 Egyptian nationals. None can enter the U.S. legally. Once a foreign ship is at the port, it must be guarded to make sure no on seizes the opportunity to get into the country. I.N.S., Border Patrol, and the U.S. Coast says keeping an eye on the Wadi Al Arab is no different than guarding any other ship from a foreign country. "

I think this has become routine after 911. All the foreign ships that come to the port of Mobile are guarded. I expect that's the case at all ports.

[Shermy]

He could have been infected in Egypt or whereever, packing it himself, and an accident occured. Died in Brazil.

[FairOpinion]

Maybe that was their first attempt to get anthrax into the US. The Feds guarded the ship, but didn't search it, so they stopped the anthrax from getting in, but didn't discover and confiscate it, so the terrorists tried again in this current attempt, which, fortunately was discovered.

[_Jim]

..if his fingers had cuts, which they most likely did if he was a boatman.....that's how it got into his system

Cutaenous ('cut') anthrax is NOT fatal - it yields ugly black mounds in it's later states but is NOT generally deadly. THIS would have shown quite OBVIOUSLY during a physical ...

[browardchad]

From the CDC:

inhalation anthrax may begin as a prodrome of fever, chills, nonproductive cough, chest pain, headache, myalgias, and malaise, with more distinctive clinical hallmarks of hemorrhagic mediastinal lymphadenitis, hemorrhagic pleural effusions, bacteremia and toxemia resulting in severe dyspnea (abnormal breathing), hypoxia (diminished oxygen supply) and septic shock (which leads to organ failure)

[Pearls Before Swine]

So he opened it up, and saw lots of little containers. And he opened one of them up to check for heroin, etc, and that was all it took to kill him.

Especially if he snorted a sample to check for effect or simply to enjoy. That snootful would have given him a quite awesome biological dose.

[Lael]

I think this has become routine after 911. All the foreign ships that come to the port of Mobile are guarded. I expect that's the case at all ports.

And, so, on to the soft "underbelly" of the U.S.A.....The BORDERS!!

[nicmarlo]

That's very possible, Shermy. How long is the boat ride from Egypt to Brazil? How long an incubation period between contact and illness? (Inquiring minds want to know).

[knak]

Brazil's Castro said Ibrahim had been given the suitcase in Cairo by an unidentified person and was due to deliver it to somebody in Canada. But he doubted Ibrahim knew what the content of the bag was, otherwise he most likely would not have opened it.

``He opened it because he was curious,'' Castro said.

Bioterrorism plot? Egyptian sailor on way to Canada dies from anthrax in Brazil

[_Jim]

inhalation anthrax may ...

THEN you also know that ANTHRAX is a bigger threat in the 3rd world where CATTLE and SHEEP are not vaccinated against such diseases ...

[nicmarlo]

Cutaenous ('cut') anthrax is NOT fatal

Okay, strike the cutaenous version of anthrax infection. How 'bout ingested?

[aristeides]

According to some of the reports, he flew from Egypt to Brazil.

[Fred Mertz]

Excellent! Thanks for the link, BB.

[nicmarlo]

From your link:

Ibrahim had traveled from Cairo to Brazil to join the ship, but he died before it sailed to Canada, Reuters reported. Canada was alerted about the ship through Interpol, and officials quarantined the vessel last week.

"There is absolutely no criminal or terrorist threat to Canada," Royal Canadian Mounted Police (search) Inspector Dan Tanner said from Halifax, Nova Scotia

[browardchad]

This information should be available today, so people can make choices.

Haaretz picked the story up:

Egyptian ship suspected of carrying anthrax for terror attack

FNC was also reporting on the Reuters story earlier today.