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.

[Fitzcarraldo]

U.S. sources told NBC that the case appeared instead to involve drug smuggling Let's see that suitcase.

[Fitzcarraldo]

he opened a suitcase with anthrax in it, which he was planning to carry to Canada

how does anyone know this - there were eyewitnesses - or was this divulged on his deathbed?

[oceanview]

this is where the Bush admin is playing with fire. If they dismiss this Brazil story, and if as we almost certainly know for sure, they used Hatfill as the cover story for the 2001 anthrax attacks, and then there is a domestic anthrax attack that "comes out of nowhere" like the planes flying into the WTC on 9/11, the media will eat their lunch as (legitimately) ignoring or spinning facts at hand that should otherwise have been pursued.

[oceanview]

from what I recall from 2001, the symptoms and xrays of the lungs of the corpse are quite conclusive. and if they have the suitcase, its a lock. the bottom line is: they know. one way or the other, the truth is known at this moment. what they decide to do with that truth is the story here.

[FairOpinion]

There are no details given.

My guess, and it is strictly a guess, is that after he died they went through his possessions, and opened the suitcase and found anthrax, or at least something that tested positive for anthrax in preliminary tests, so you put two and two together: the guy died of anthrax, and they find, what is likely to be anthrax in his suitcase, and maybe they know something about his background, that he is not really associated with terrorists, you can conclude what the articles have been saying that he was a carrier, and got curious. If he knew it was anthrax, he would not have exposed himself knowingly.

Also there may be more to this, than we are told, someone posted an article from back in February, that the Feds were watching this particular ship.

[cookcounty]

Has it struck any of you that a low-paid Egyptian sailor would not likely be buying a one-way Cairo-Sao Paulo-Porto Temmbowhatever ticket to get a job?

I wonder who else is on this ship that might be part of a floating Al-Qaida (or Saddamite) cell.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Has it struck any of you that a low-paid Egyptian sailor would not likely be buying a one-way Cairo-Sao Paulo-Porto Temmbowhatever ticket to get a job?

So I take it this ship, the Wadi Al-Arab, just shuttles between North and South America delivering bauxite and iron ore. When was the last time it has been in the middle east?

[Fitzcarraldo]

The ship had just sailed to Brazil from Tenerife!

OK

[FairOpinion]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/906318.asp?0si=-&cp1=1

U.S. disputes Brazil ‘anthrax’ case

====

Are these the same officials who claim that Steven Hatfill was the "anthrax terrorist" and don't want to have their pet theory blown out of the water with this discovery?

This is one of those "are they that stupid, or do they think we are" statements. "just a drug smuggling case" indeed. :\

[oceanview]

I don't like it either.

while I'm typing this, I'm listening to Batchelor and Alexander say on their show that the US already has hard evidence of WMD in Iraq but doesn't feel they need to release it because polls show support for the war even without evidence of WMD! God help us if this is indeed their strategy, what do they plan to do, when Bush's approval rating drops towards 60%, then start releasing the WMD finds? I sure hope not.

[FairOpinion]

I think some things are "foggy" because information gets misinterpreted and accidentally inaccurate, then there is some infor which may be deliberately distorted by various people with various motives.

There is much more to this story, there has to be, the question is whether we will ever know any more.

[oceanview]

i guess they can get some FBI forensics expert to tell us there is a new strain of cocaine from south america that turns your lungs to jello.

[FairOpinion]

I read in one of the articles that the entire crew is from Egypt. I don't know any more, or that is even correct, since it was only mentioned in one place, that I saw, at any rate.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Al Qaeda,Anthrax and Ayman

"...Gilbert Provost, a helpful expert on the question, reports by email that:"This vessel was first listed in the 1996-97 Lloyd's Register. She has been the property of National Navigation from her launch by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Heavy Machinery Ltd. in Okpo, Korea. She is a bulk carrier of 37,550 tons gross. it was first was listed in the Lloyd's registry in 1996-1997." An international attorney who has lived in Tonga for years advises me that the registry in Tonga was voluntarily suspended a few months ago after a ship was seized that had connection with terrorists..."

[nicmarlo]

There is much more to this story, there has to be, the question is whether we will ever know any more.

I agree with your post, especially the above. Everything's always to secret. I was just reading about a new SARS case showing up in New Rochelle---perfunctory responses by authorities right now: "not to worry" "everything's fine" blah blah blah. This is so people won't panic. The authorities are told to do this, treat us all like children, to our detriment, really. How can one protect themselves when disinformation is given, which is actually worse than the truth?