Experts Offer Competing Theories for Source of Anthrax: Was it New Jersey Basement or Iraq? (or MD?)

AP & New Jersey Online ^ | November 8, 2001 | MATT CRENSON

[Dog Gone]

the hysterical reaction some people here on FR had the other day to a claim that the source was Pakistani makes me wonder whether some government shills may be particularly afraid of that claim because it is true.

What hysterical reaction? You mean the FACT that the reports about anthrax in Pakistan turned out to be false?

The folks who were out of control were the ones who blamed the Pakistani government for something that never even happened.

[aristeides]

The FACT is that the U.S. government claims that tests at Ft. Detrick have shown that the Pakistani letters did not contain anthrax. I take it you choose to believe those claims. I choose to maintain my skepticism.

Anyway, those are the facts. I do not think the facts justify hysteria on either side. And I repeat, the denials the other day seemed to me to be hysterical. Had they been dispassionate and reasoned, they would not have aroused my disbelief.

[Dog Gone]

I take it you choose to believe those claims. I choose to maintain my skepticism.

Yes, I choose to believe those facts. There isn't even any conflicting evidence to dispute it.

Those who want to accuse the USA of lying, and Pakistan of being the source of the anthrax attacks can do so. But they don't have any factual basis for that position. They make those accusations because they want them to be true.

There are going to be people here who object to that. I find it odd that this bothers you.

[FITZ]

Also Arabs have been given complete access to everything they wanted, I'm sure many work in our labs and could take whatever they wanted out.

[Dog Gone]

Entirely possible. We let Chinese commies have access to our nuclear labs. It shouldn't shock us if someday we find out that a foreigner had access to our biological weapons research as well.

[aristeides]

I think governments in wartime have been known to lie.

[harpseal]

I am of the opinion that a Pakistani national could very well be associated with al Qaeda or be an agent of Iraq. I think that many are very fearful of anything they think might jepordise the fragile Pakistani government.

Stay well - stay safe - stay armed - Yorktown

[marshmallow]

Cases like this depend almost entirely on tip-offs from the public. Someone who knows something. Otherwise, forget it.

The Atlanta Olympic Games bombing never got that input and as a result, is unsolved.

[gumbo]

Those who want to accuse the USA of lying, and Pakistan of being the source of the anthrax attacks can do so. But they don't have any factual basis for that position. They make those accusations because they want them to be true

It isn't necessarily the case that we must believe "the USA is lying" for there to be a Pakistani connection to the anthrax incidents.

First, the declarations that the Daily Jang letter did not contain anthrax may be wrong. We've already seen a lot of errors in our domestic anthrax investigations. E.g., Thomas Morris, the postal worker who died of inhalation anthrax, as assured the suspicious letter he'd handled did not contain anthrax (see Electronic Telegraph, Haunting call for help from dying anthrax victim). How did he get it, then?

And what about the Ft. Detrick finding of bentonite in the anthrax samples? One day we are told this is so; the next we are told it is false.

In any case, whether the Daily Jang letter contained anthrax or not, there may be a Pakistani connection to the anthrax mailings. Several Pakistanis were detained, at least one arrested, in Hamilton NJ in the last couple of weeks - the probable site of the mailings.

At least two apartments were raided, one by investigators wearing hazmat suits. We are told by the FBI that testing of articles seized "is not completed yet."