Expert: Anthrax Suspect I.D.'d

The Times (New Jersey Online) ^ | February 19th, 2002 | Joseph Dee

[wimpycat]

PRINCETON BOROUGH -- An advocate for the control of biological weapons who has been gathering information about last autumn's anthrax attacks said yesterday the Federal Bureau of Investigation has a strong hunch about who mailed the deadly letters.

But the FBI might be "dragging its feet" in pressing charges because the suspect is a former government scientist familiar with "secret activities that the government would not like to see disclosed," said Barbara Hatch Rosenberg, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Chemical and Biological Weapons Program.

[Mitchell]

When Pres. Bush says that there's an axis of evil, I think we should take him at his word. He's not known for complex circumlocutions; he says what he means. I would like a reporter to ask him (or Rumsfeld) whether there's evidence of an alliance between Iraq and Iran. (I'd omit North Korea from the question for now.)

As long as you're posting images, don't forget the other anthrax letter, copies of which went to Tom Brokaw and to the New York Post. Notice how Atta, wanting to take the personal glory but unable to, may have signed his name by overstriking A-T-T-A:

THIS IS NEXT
TAKE PENACILIN NOW

DEATH TO AMERICA
DEATH TO ISRAEL

ALLAH IS GREAT

I know this seems far-fetched at first, but can someone come up with some other reason for the distinctive overstriking of these particular letters? (The messages were all prepared in advance and photocopied; only photocopies were mailed, so presumably the letters contained exactly the wording and appearance that the sender wanted.)

The last three lines of both this letter and the letter you posted are a common chant in Islamic demonstrations in Iran. See this thread. [Both letters were dated September 11, 2001. Also, "This is next" in this letter clearly means next after the WTC/Pentagon attack.]

[theDentist]

I don't think they know. If they suspected someone, he/she'd still be a substantial risk and threat,( moreso than some of the illegals they're holding as material witnesses ) and would be taken down almost immediately.

[Fabozz]

"Coincidentally, Iraq's government is also the only government to have endorsed Osama bin Laden and the attacks on the World Trade Center, the only government whose talking points feature regularly in OBL's communiquees, and the only government known to have directly liaised with Mohammed Atta, and the only government to harbor an indicted conspirator in the original, 1993 attempt to topple the WTC towers."

Bump for the "Iraqi warning shot" theory. Other points to remember:

• News reports on September 8th, 2001 accused Iraqi intelligence of smuggling anthrax into the UK.
• There were apparently three government targets: Daschle, Leahy and some unknown target in the State Department (perhaps Powell). Daschle, as head of the Senate, wields tremendous power over U.S. foreign policy. Leahy, as head of the Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, oversees U.S. foreign aid to Israel, Turkey and Iraq's opposition parties. And the State Department is, well, the State Department. Only actual foreigners could suspect the State Department of being anti-Arab; anyone who follows U.S. politics would know better. ;-)
• In late December/early January, we heard news leaks saying that the genetic sequencing to determine the source of the anthrax was days away from completion. A few weeks later, Bush surprised even State Department officials by inserting his "Axis of Evil" line into the State of the Union address. Powell specifically instructed his spokemen not to soften the "Axis of Evil" message in any way. I wonder what Bush and Powell learned in early January that we haven't been told yet?

[mrustow]

"We can draw a likely portrait of the perpetrator as a former Fort Detrick scientist who is now working for a contractor in the Washington, D.C., area," Rosenberg said. "He had reason for travel to Florida, New Jersey and the United Kingdom. . . . There is also the likelihood the perpetrator made the anthrax himself. He grew it, probably on a solid medium and weaponized it at a private location where he had accumulated the equipment and the material.

This is mealy-mouthed, "plausible deniability" talk. She said there IS A SUSPECT. If there is a suspect, then there is no "likely portrait" of him, there is A portrait of him. She doesn't know what the hell she's talking about, and probably doesn't have any more info than I do.

It is possible that a former Fort Detrick scientist was involved -- as a paid conduit to Islamic terrorists. This woman gives no motive at all for an American scientist to be engaging in terrorism. Long before any evidence existed in the anthrax case, leftwing scientists and some feds were beating the drum for a "homegrown terrorist" for reasons that are entirely political.

[Torie]

But the FBI might be "dragging its feet" in pressing charges because the suspect is a former government scientist familiar with "secret activities that the government would not like to see disclosed," said Barbara Hatch Rosenberg, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Chemical and Biological Weapons Program.

Tin foil alert. Actually, I have it on good authority that Jim Jeffords did it in order to blackmail Bush to get the dairy compact passed. And its passage is well on its way I understand. Connect the dots.

[wimpycat]

Actually, I have it on good authority that Jim Jeffords did it in order to blackmail Bush to get the dairy compact passed. And its passage is well on its way I understand. Connect the dots.

Jeez, you'd think it would be obvious, wouldn't you? I mean, it's as plain as the nose on your face! But some people have trouble facing the awful reality. Of course, the media are in on the plot, too.

[ableChair]

This article is baseless propaganda. If the suspect 'talked', the FBI has nothing at all to fear because the suspect is in violation of the National Security Act. It's easy enough to shut someone up when they violate the NSA. The premise of the article makes no sense.

[okie01]

"Plausible. As far as it goes."

Yes, isn't it?

The fly in the domestic terrorist theory, though, is the first letter -- the one that went to American Media in West Palm Beach.

The person Rosenberg describes may conceivably be responsible for the Daschle, Leahy and TV network letters. But, whence National Enquirer...???

On the other hand, the entire mailing list is consistent with an al-Qaeda terrorist.

[muawiyah]

AMI ("National Enquirer") is readily explained. Both AMI and the New York Post were attacked. These are the major tabloid format periodicals in the country. Although this rapidly vanishing format is not representative of powerful journalism around here anymore, this is the form almost all major print media take in the Third World!

Also, "free" broadcast television networks were attacked, but not any cable tv operations. Mr. Atta and his associates were typical of so many Middle-Easterners. They didn't waste money!

Why pay for tv when you can get it free?

This characteristic colors their whole operation, including the purchase of envelopes at the Boca Raton post office. They obtained only the number they needed and not one more. They did not buy a book of stamps at the grocery store only to waste most of them when their attack would amount to no more than a half-dozen letters.

It is possible they used anthrax stolen from Ft. Detrick 10 years ago.

It was probably the cheapest stuff they could get!

Now that we are on the "cheapest at any price" trail, we might reconsider some of the anthrax "look alike" attack letters. Some of the materials stolen 10 years ago are reported to have been sterilized. It is entirely possible Mr. Atta and his associates purchased some of that stuff. It would probably be identified as some sort of bacteria, but would it be identifiable as anthrax? That's undoubtedly something the FBI has been investigating, but you don't hear anything about it do you.

That's because any admission that the anthrax attacker had an operational profile that identified him as a Middle-Easterner will be suppressed by agents inside the FBI who continue to demand the attacker be part of the American political milieu.

[rubbertramp]

The reason Rosenberg is so sure that she has the right guy is that the anthrax could only have come from one place. The number of spores and its degree of weaponization could only be from the Ames batch which the CIA ordered destroyed in its coverup. This wasn't done by some guy named Abdullah who had no Hazmat suit or other protective devices.

How did someone who was second in command at Biopreperat and lied to this country for years about bioweapons get a security clearance to work at Fort Detrick? That is the real puzzler.

[rubbertramp]

The reason Rosenberg is so sure that she has the right guy is that the anthrax could only have come from one place. The number of spores and its degree of weaponization could only be from the Ames batch which the CIA ordered destroyed in its coverup. This wasn't done by some guy named Abdullah who had no Hazmat suit or other protective devices.

How did someone who was second in command at Biopreperat and lied to this country for years about bioweapons get a security clearance to work at Fort Detrick? That is the real puzzler.

[rubbertramp]

The reason Rosenberg is so sure that she has the right guy is that the anthrax could only have come from one place. The number of spores and its degree of weaponization could only be from the Ames batch which the CIA ordered destroyed in its coverup. This wasn't done by some guy named Abdullah who had no Hazmat suit or other protective devices.

How did someone who was second in command at Biopreperat and lied to this country for years about bioweapons get a security clearance to work at Fort Detrick? That is the real puzzler.

[Mitchell]

...we might reconsider some of the anthrax "look alike" attack letters....

Also the letters mailed from Indianapolis to Sean Hannity and possibly Bill O'Reilly.

There are real clues, but Rosenberg keeps trying to divert our attention to unsupported statements that appear to be designed to bolster a political position. I'd like to see her quote some actual evidence instead of the inconsequential and vague hints of insider information that she tries to base arguments on.

[Bob J]

PAT BUCHANAN ON RADIOFR TONIGHT - ON NOW!

CLICK HERE!

[cardinal4]

Hmmm..Good question.

[Mitchell]

This wasn't done by some guy named Abdullah who had no Hazmat suit or other protective devices.

If the anthrax really does come from a U.S.-made source, how do you know that "some guy named Abdullah" didn't buy it from an insider at a U.S. facility or at Porton Down? Or possibly there's a mole inside, planted there many years ago?

A hypothetical inside contact doesn't have to be named Abdullah any more than Robert Hanssen had to be named Ivan.

[sistergoldenhair]

later

[SSN558]

""We know that the FBI is looking at this person, and it's likely that he participated in the past in secret activities that the government would not like to see disclosed," Rosenberg said. "And this raises the question of whether the FBI may be dragging its feet somewhat and may not be so anxious to bring to public light the person who did this."

It reaks of propaganda, so what is the point.

1. The FBI is clueless and guessing like everyone else in hopes of making a suspect nervous enough to slip up. Suspect already under survellience.

2. Political warfare by clintonista leftovers against federal labs in the investigation. e.g. The federal labs have the expertise to generate evidence and the FBI does not so professional jelousy at work.

3. The Federation of American Scientists is putting out total B.S. in hopes of getting more FOIA stuff for their web site.

[cricket]

"Without mentioning other biological agents that are far more deadly and contagious than anthrax, Rosenberg said the potential for a biological attack is "catastrophic."

. . .a castastrophic bump. . .with no warm fuzzies in sight. . .

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!