Posted on 04/28/2003 10:28:14 AM PDT by 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.
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.RCMP Inspector Tanner should take some training in being more careful with his words, for the obvious circumstances give his overly "absolute" words the lie."There is absolutely no criminal or terrorist threat to Canada," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Insp. Dan Tanner said from Halifax.
The Brazilian doctors are somewhat less than impressive, if you believe these quotes from today's Halifax Herald:
Mr. Ibrahim died of septicemia, a generalized infection that spread quickly, Luiz Malcher, chief coroner of the Brazilian port city of Belem, said Sunday.
He said there was strong hemorrhaging of the lungs, pancreas and brain, symptoms consistent with anthrax poisoning.
Mr. Malcher said Mr. Ibrahim started feeling ill about seven hours after boarding the ship.
"He was found dead early the next morning," he said.
"Before boarding, Ibrahim was submitted to routine medical examinations and was found to be in perfect health, so it would seem that the infection occurred on board."
Full-blown anthrax symptoms within seven hours of exposure, and death within 24 hours?
"The bacilli of anthrax was found in his body," Carlos Lopes told The Canadian Press from Brasilia, the capital of the South American country. He said it wasn't clear if the traces came from external sources or if they caused the death.
We might have a scenario where anthrax was faked to cover up the real cause of death -- possibly a drug deal, as per U.S. authorities.
Maybe that's how those unnamed U.S. authorities could say "drug overdose" with a straight face.
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