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.

[wimpycat]

When I first saw this article, I thought, "great!" There's a real break in the case! But after reading it more carefully, I see that it's just one woman's speculations, a woman with an agenda. I don't know which is influencing Ms. Rosenberg's opinions and speculation more; her "insider" sources which may be really onto something or her obvious distrust of government motives.

[The Cuban]

Great. Can she give a better description of the suspect so that he might ger away?

[1Old Pro]

Noting that anthrax mail stopped, I suspect the mailer had limited supply. That's about all I can guess.

[syriacus]

Thanks for posting this.

[eno_]

She said the evidence points to a person who has experience handling anthrax; who has been vaccinated and has received annual booster shots; and who had access to classified government information about how to chemically treat the bacterial spores to keep them from clumping together, which allows them to remain airborne.

Plausible. As far as it goes. But it does not exmplain how the anthrax letters seemed to follow Mohammed Atta and the hijackers around, or why they were mailed from locations near large Arab populations. As for being vaccinated, the alternative is that the anthrax was mailed by someone who wasn't planning on staying around long enough to get sick.

[genefromjersey]

I agree ! The Federation of American Scientists is a decidedly left wing organization, dedicated to unilateral US disarmament. You'll notice the speaker made no mention of the huge Soviet Biowar research facility-built after Russia signed a treaty with us, promising to get rid of all such facilities.
Putin even had the stones to offer Bush materials produced in these labs !

[francisandbeans]

It's all BS. The anthrax was Islamic terrorism. This administration is playing the tree falls in the forest game with this and other events. Keeps the public calm, and makes the terrorists angry because we won't acknowledge thier actions.

Good strategery....until they decide to do something major again.

[Dog Gone]

"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.

Utter BS. If that were true, we would never would have arrested Hanson, Pollard, or any of the others with knowledge of our secrets.

Someone has an agenda here, and it has nothing to do with getting to the truth.

[bvw]

Rosenberg, who spoke to about 65 students, faculty members and others at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University

[Orangedog]

We all know that the Anthrax attacks were the work of a right-wing, gun-owning, constitution-reading nut case. Now move on! this is old news. [/sarcasm]

[cynicom]

wimp...

We all know the culprit is a redneck conservative, living somewhere in the south, that made a batch of this stuff in his garage.

[Linda Liberty]

I don't buy it. The FBI could simply deny whatever this alleged guy said. If they could deny Waco and however many witnesses who claimed to see TWA 800 shot down over the LI sound, they could deny whatever this guy would say. Once arrested, he's discredited, and the judge would never let him present whatever dirt he has, and moreover they could probably find a judge who'd let them hold this guy more or less incommunicado. He'd be much more dangerous to them at large. If they haven't arrested someone, I suspect its because they haven't got a case, and if they're focussed on some guy from their own weapons lab, they may still be barking up the wrong tree entirely. This sounds like this lady's tin hat view to me.

[Rebelbase]

< Beach Boys style singing> Bomb, Bomb, Bomb...Bomb, Bomb Iraq< /Beach boys style singing >

[Senator Pardek]

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...

Lol... the FBI decides it will give this guy the chance to kill more people, and they decided to tell some shmucko about this.

That's would I call good PR!

[GWfan]

I agree with others on this thread that this is total BS. One of the most suspect statements was that the guy grew the anthrax himself. What a load!

[Illbay]

Darn. If this doesn't turn out to be a radical Islamist with followers in every Mosque from Boston to L.A., a LOT of FReepers are going to be demonstrably upset!

BTW, this might have been speculation but she sure mentioned a lot of specifics.

[Illbay]

You are Exhibit One.

[wimpycat]

She did mention specifics, which is why I posted it, but her interpretation of those specifics is, well....questionable, to say the least. But I don't know--I'm just throwing the info out there--I report, you decide. I don't have a dog in this fight.