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.

[The Great Satan]

Saddam won't make a speech in three days. It's bogus. Might even be a US psy-op. But Saddam hasn't mutated into a 66-year old Chez Guevara. Saddam, Uday, Qusay are way too fond of Johnny Walker Black, gold-plated bathroom fixtures and Russian hookers to adopt that life-style. The best way out of this crisis was to offer them a guarenteed out where they'd still get to enjoy Johnny Walker Black, gold-plated bathroom fixtures and Russian hookers. Which is most probably exactly what has happened.

[Allan]

Bump

[FairOpinion]

What is interesting is that a nameless officer denies it, while earlier a NAMED officer said there was anthrax contamination and suitcase.

Didn't they say that final tests should be ready today? I haven't seen anything about that.

Also, I read the BBC article, and in one line they said they dead guy's possessions were taken off the ship, and in antother paragraph, that the suitcase with anthrax was still on the ship. In the same article!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2985453.stm

"Four other crew members who accompanied Ibrahim on the flight from Cairo were placed under medical supervision, but the suspect bag remained on board the ship

Neder Duarte, a federal police official in Belem - the regional capital in northern Brazil where Ibrahim's body and belongings were transferred - said police were trying to establish who gave Ibrahim the bag and where it was being taken. "

[Shermy]

Here's a story from Brasilia:

http://www2.correioweb.com.br/cw/EDICAO_20030429/pri_bra_290403_191.htm?

[Dixie Mom]

From "90% certainty" to "ruled out." How odd.

[FairOpinion]

I was referring to this statement:

"BRASILIA, Brazil - A Brazilian police officer says there is no substance to reports that an Eygptian sailor believed killed by anthrax was in possession of a suitcase filled with the deady bacteria. "

Now was there a suitcase with anthrax or wasn't there?

[FairOpinion]

Then of course Saddam's speech could be blackmail: I have x pound of anthrax and smallpox in several US cities, and a few dirty bombs, the US should leave Iraq immediately, or ELSE...

[FairOpinion]

And they still don't know what killed him.

Also what IS in the suitcase? One would think people can tell drugs from anthrax. OR what if it's not anthrax, but some OTHER bioterror weapon, ebola maybe?

[FairOpinion]

I was doing some search, and botulism can also manifest with vomiting. In early articles I remember reading that they found toxins in his body, and basically the toxins killed him, maybe it's botulism toxin. Also, when I was researching anthrax, I found articles which talked about Saddam having manufactured anthrax AND botulinum toxin in large quantities.

They ruled out anthrax, did they rule out botulism?

[Shermy]

This whole thing is suspicious at every level.

I did notice articles in the Brazilian press the last few days worrying, as they had before, on the ill effects of being known as a region where Mid East Terrorism gets succor.

[FairOpinion]

The Canadians are in the process of testing the ship for anthrax or other "communicable diseases". But what about a suitcase full of botulinum toxin?

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030426.wship0428/BNStory/National/?query=anthrax+ship