Posted on 11/09/2001 1:33:50 PM PST by Fearless Flyers
This profile was reached directly from the FBI Home Page. Do you know this man?
November 9, 2001
Amerithrax Press Briefing
Linguistic/Behavioral Analysis of Anthrax Letters
Critical Incident Response Group
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
Today the FBI is releasing linguistic and behavioral assessments of the person responsible for mailing anthrax-laden letters on September 18 and October 9, 2001. We ask the American public to study these assessments and reflect on whether someone of their acquaintance might fit the profile. The safety of the American people is at stake. If you have credible information that might help identify this person, please contact 1-800-CRIMETV (274-6388), use www.ifcc.fbi.gov, or call your local FBI field office.
EVIDENCE DESCRIPTION
Letter 1
One page, hand-printed letter
Transmittal envelope, also similarly hand printed
Addressed to "NBC TV – Tom Brokaw" – No return address
Postmarked Trenton, NJ 09/18/2001 (Tues.)
Letter 2
One page, hand-printed letter
Transmittal envelope, also similarly hand printed
Addressed to "NY Post" – No return address
Postmarked Trenton, NJ 09/18/2001 (Tues.)
Letter 3
One page, hand-printed letter
Transmittal envelope, also similarly hand printed
Addressed to "Senator Daschle – 509 Hart Senate Office Building"
Return address – "4th Grade, Greendale School, Franklin Park, NJ"
Return address zip code – "08852"
Postmarked Trenton, NJ 10/09/2001 (Tues.)
LINGUISTIC ASSESSMENT
It is highly probable, bordering on certainty, that all three letters were authored by the same person. Letters 1 and 2 are identical copies. Letter 3, however, contains a somewhat different message than the other letters. The Anthrax utilized in Letter 3 was much more refined, more potent, and more easily disbursed than letters 1 and 2.
In the past, the public has helped the FBI solve high profile investigations that involved writings by coming forward to identify the author, either by how he wrote or by what he wrote. We are asking for the public's help here again in the same way.
While the text in these letters is limited, there are certain distinctive characteristics in the author's writing style. These same characteristics may be evident in other letters, greeting cards, or envelopes this person has written. We hope someone has received correspondence from this person and will recognize some of these characteristics.
The characteristics include:
1. The author uses dashes ("-") in the writing of the date "09-11-01." Many people use the slash ("/") to separate the day/month/year.
2. In writing the number one, the author chooses to use a formalized, more detailed version. He writes it as "1" instead of the simple vertical line.
3. The author uses the words "can not," when many people prefer to spell it as one word, "cannot."
4. The author writes in all upper case block-style letters. However, the first letter of the first word of each sentence is written in slightly larger upper case lettering. Also, the first letter of all proper nouns (like names) is slightly larger. This is apparently the author's way of indicating a word should be capitalized in upper case lettering. For whatever reason, he may not be comfortable or practiced in writing in lower case lettering.
5. The names and address on each envelope are noticeably tilted on a downward slant from left to right. This may be a characteristic seen on other envelopes he has sent.
6. The envelopes are of the pre-stamped variety, the stamps denoting 34 cents, which are normally available directly from the post office. They are not the traditional business size envelopes, but the smaller size measuring approximately 6 1/4" x 3 ½".
BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT
Based on the selection of Anthrax as the "weapon" of choice by this individual, the offender:
• is likely an adult male.
• if employed, is likely to be in a position requiring little contact with the public, or other employees. He may work in a laboratory. He is apparently comfortable working with an extremely hazardous material. He probably has a scientific background to some extent, or at least a strong interest in science.
• has likely taken appropriate protective steps to ensure his own safety, which may include the use of an Anthrax vaccination or antibiotics.
• has access to a source of Anthrax and possesses knowledge and expertise to refine it.
• possesses or has access to some laboratory equipment; i.e., microscope, glassware, centrifuge, etc.
• has exhibited an organized, rational thought process in furtherance of his criminal behavior.
• has a familiarity, direct or indirect, with the Trenton, NJ, metropolitan area; however, this does not necessarily mean he currently lives in the Trenton, NJ, area.. He is comfortable traveling in and around this locale.
• did not select victims randomly. He made an effort to identify the correct address, including zip code, of each victim and used sufficient postage to ensure proper delivery of the letters. The offender deliberately "selected" NBC News, the New York Post, and the office of Senator Tom Daschle as the targeted victims (and possibly AMI in Florida). These targets are probably very important to the offender. They may have been the focus of previous expressions of contempt which may have been communicated to others, or observed by others.
• is a non-confrontational person, at least in his public life. He lacks the personal skills necessary to confront others. He chooses to confront his problems "long distance" and not face-to-face. He may hold grudges for a long time, vowing that he will get even with "them" one day. There are probably other, earlier examples of this type of behavior. While these earlier incidents were not actual Anthrax mailings, he may have chosen to anonymously harass other individuals or entities that he perceived as having wronged him. He may also have chosen to utilize the mail on those occasions.
• prefers being by himself more often than not. If he is involved in a personal relationship it will likely be of a self serving nature.
Pre-Offense Behavior
• Following the events of September 11, 2001, this person may have become mission oriented in his desire to undertake these Anthrax mailings. He may have become more secretive and exhibited an unusual pattern of activity. Additionally, he may have displayed a passive disinterest in the events which otherwise captivated the Nation. He also may have started taking antibiotics unexpectedly.
Post-Offense Behavior
• He may have exhibited significant behavioral changes at various critical periods of time throughout the course of the Anthrax mailings and related media coverage. These may include the following;
1. Altered physical appearance.
2. Pronounced anxiety.
3. Atypical media interest.
4. Noticeable mood swings.
5. More withdrawn.
6. Unusual level of preoccupation.
7. Unusual absenteeism.
8. Altered sleeping and/or eating habits.
These post-offense behaviors would have been most noticeable during critical times, including but not limited to: the mailing of the letters (09/18/01 and 10/09/01), the death of first Anthrax victim, media reports of each anthrax incident, and especially the deaths and illnesses of non-targeted victims.
AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE CREDIBLE INFORMATION THAT MIGHT HELP IDENTIFY THIS PERSON, PLEASE CONTACT THE FBI IMMEDIATELY AT 1-800-CRIMETV (274-6388), AT WWW.IFCC.FBI.GOV, OR BY CALLING YOUR LOCAL FBI FIELD OFFICE.
Must be a connection between the victims and I'm sure the FBI is working that possibility. Did Brokaw interview Daschle on a topic of particular significance to this guy? Did the NY Post later do an editorial commentary on the same topic?
And there are medical supply firms/pharmaceutical companies in NJ that might have mailed a package to her hospital that got cross-contaminated.
NJ Top 5 companies by market capitalization, all are medical/health related
Alpharma Inc.: Pharmaceuticals, Becton Dickinson & Co. (I think they make medical supplies), Block Drug Co. Inc., Dialogic Corporation, Medical Manager Corp. Manufacturing, Medquist Inc. Health, Schein Pharmaceutical Pharmaceuticals, Telcordia Technologies, Inc., Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., Warner-Lambert -
At least, I think most of these are medically related.
BTW, what is a PTF?
FWIW, I think the style of the current anthrax letters is more controlled. It doesn't look like the same writer to me.
This is also the way capitalization was done on a very old typewriter we had. "Upper case" and "lower case" letters were the same, except "lower case" letters were smaller than the "upper case" ones.
Look, it was in the USPS equipment - lots of ways those trays can actually work as aerosols in fact.
Your question "what is a PTF" is a clear demonstration that you do not have sufficient understanding of the USPS to even comment on how someone in a supply room could get contaminated - a PTF is the acronymn for "Part Time Flexible" employee. These folks can get up to 40 hours work a week from the USPS. This is the entry level for a clerk or carrier.
There, now that I've given away the secret information, none of us will be safe. They'll be coming in here saying "Hey, I know the words, I know what a PTF is, listen to my theory."
Must watch this in the future.
My profile guess:
White male over the age of 60
Widowed or Divorced, no children or relatives or alienated his relatives, has only one or two people he speaks to
Partially disabled
Ex-government employee or subcontracted gov't employee
Top Secret clearance at one time
College educated
Lives in the Trenton Area
Buys stamped envelopes because he can't ever find a stamp when he needs one, frustrated by the interm "Letter" stamps without denominations, can't keep up with the changes in postage.
Doesn't like kids, visitors or phone calls.
Reads & watches TV. No Computer
Has a cat, hates dogs
Shops at thrift stores and budget grocery stores
Unkempt appearance, abrupt in conversation, scrooge like
People avoid him and he likes it that way
Reveling in the fact that he hasn't been caught yet and probably going about his business in a much better mood
Possible manic depressive
Hates doctors
Uses public transportation
Not a registered voter
But you must have skipped the first sentence in my reply which was, "And there are medical supply firms/pharmaceutical companies in NJ that might have mailed a package to her hospital that got cross-contaminated."
I was going along with your scenario. I was pointing out that the hospital might have received loads of mail that passed through the (potentially contaminated) NJ mail systems, because there are so many medically related firms in NJ.
1) Who writes the word "Building" on a separate address line and without abbreviating it? A foreigner who mistakenly thinks the word "Building" is important on an address line. Americans would write "Bl" or "Bldg" on the same line, if necessary squeezed on at the very end, not going to a second line.
2) Who puts a period after "Ave" (or "St" or "Rd")?? I don't.
3) I have a degree in foreign languages and the English used in the letters sounds to me like a foreigner trying to think in English. The person "knows" the meaning of the words, but doesn't realize how stilted the English sounds to a native English speaker. For language students, it's often a laborious process trying to translate simple concepts into a language not his own. The non-native speaker might think "You die now" expresses the thought such as "You're going to die" or "Die, you suckers" or "You're going to die ha ha", which may have been what he was thinking as he wrote "You die now".
4) A computer user who does inputting as part of his job would be used to writing the date with six digits. I have to input the date this way in my job, and it's therefore second nature to write six digit dates on checks, etc.
The question of whether or not the FBI is monitoring this hefty input has been raised. Because of the FBI's fortress mentality, they may only sift through the "leads" mailed to them. Suggestion: Smother them with emails that include the clickable URL of this thread. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/567593/posts
I'd heard that too. It makes sense that a person who would mail anthrax would be someone who has lost hope of having a normally fulfilling life.
On the other hand, I think this phrase sounds like a weak attempt to sound foreign.
Wouldn't anyone who lived in the US, or even dealt with Americans, be aware of our dating system and make sure to use that system so that we Americans would clearly see the connection between the anthrax letters and "Nine-Eleven"? If they wrote 11-09-01, the connection with 9-11 would not be made as strongly.
An American trying to imitate an Arab would be more likely to write 11-09-01 than an Arab writing to Americans would be.
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