Anthrax Mailer May Not Have Intended Harm

Reuters via Lycos.com ^ | 09/29/2003

[GeneD]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The deadly 2001 U.S. anthrax attacks may have been carried out by someone who did not intend to cause any harm, a top FBI official said on Monday.

Of the possibility that a scientist wanted to issue a wake-up call about the bioterrorism threat and it went out of control, FBI Assistant Director Michael Mason told a news conference, "That's a possible theory, but it's all conjecture."

Asked why their had been no other attacks, Mason said, "I suppose the leading thought might be the person didn't intend to cause harm, and did."

The FBI has been investigating anthrax-laced letters that were mailed to the news media and politicians in September and October 2001, which resulted in five deaths in a country already shaken by the Sept. 11 attacks.

Mason, who recently took over as head of the Washington field office and the anthrax probe, said the FBI has made some refinements, but no fundamental changes, to the profile of the person believed responsible for the attacks.

According to the profile, the FBI said the person probably was an adult male who may have worked in a laboratory or had a scientific background. He was suspected of working alone.

Mason rejected criticism that the investigation has languished. He said 27 FBI agents, and U.S. Postal Service investigators, continued to work on the investigation, conducting interviews and following scientific leads.

More investigation remained to be done. "There's still much work to be done before we can say with certainty what it may have taken to commit this crime," Mason said.

[Paul Atreides]

Of the possibility that a scientist wanted to issue a wake-up call about the bioterrorism threat and it went out of control, FBI Assistant Director Michael Mason told a news conference, "That's a possible theory, but it's all conjecture."

They must have some lead that the perp belongs to a member of the P.C. class of individuals.

[per loin]

"I suppose the leading thought might be the person didn't intend to cause harm, and did."

Yeah. Kinda like when the Arabs fired two warning planes into the WTC, and some folks got accidently harmed.

[mewzilla]

Exqueeze me?

[Shermy]

Anyone got a link to the text of the press conference?

[John W]

Pathetic.

[soozla]

WHAT?????????????????????????????????????????????

[Shermy]

It's the "Don't worry, the killer really cares for us" scenario. Served the economy well.

[riri]

Here is a new spin.

[beckett]

Asked why their had been no other attacks, Mason [should have said, "because the mailer, Mohammed Atta, died in the north tower of the World Trade Center."]

[Shermy]

LOL!

Anyway, a guy pretending to be AQ - wouldn't he way he was AQ?

[Shermy]

Re: 10

Thought about your comment more.

I think that explains the "mailer didn't think anthrax would leak out in the mail" story line.

In my view, the mailer didn't particularly care. The tape was good enough to get most of the germs to the target.

But for someone trying to pin the mailing on the benevolent scientist theory, the post office infections don't help the theory. Therefore the spin is the scientist "miscalculated" and so on.

[SwinneySwitch]

BS!

[Ann Archy]

Michael Mason sounds like he's STUPID!!!!

[John W]

I hope thats all he is.Just Read "1000 Years For Revenge" by Peter Lance.Its difficult to believe the FBI could be as ignorant as an institution as they seem in that narrative.Obviously,the alternative is even worse to consider.

[John H K]

Of course, he also used weaponized anthrax, coated with silica and gave it a nice charge with a corona discharge gun to ensure it would make a nice deadly aerosol

The anthrax wasn't "weaponized"; mythology due to an endless litany of articles by people who have no idea what they're talking about.

[John H K]

Asked why their had been no other attacks, Mason [should have said, "because the mailer, Mohammed Atta, died in the north tower of the World Trade Center."]

Atta was dead before the FIRST anthrax letters were mailed.

[Prince Charles]

The deadly 2001 U.S. anthrax attacks may have been carried out by someone who did not intend to cause any harm, a top FBI official said on Monday.

Is this the same stoop who dreamed up the lake-draining exercise?