Investigators focus on domestic culprit 11/2/01
"Authorities probing the wave of anthrax poisonings have turned in recent days to New Jersey universities and private laboratories, looking for clues to bolster the theory that a single person or group with ties to the region -- and not overseas terrorists -- may be responsible for the deadly letters.FBI agents have contacted the facilities to ask specifically about missing equipment and employees who have been fired or who left under questionable circumstances, several companies confirmed.
"It appears that it is a domestic person or group; that is the prevailing thought," a ranking law enforcement source said.
A second senior official agreed that the idea of a home-based terrorist has emerged as a key operative theory, but cautioned the probe is filled with fast-moving developments that could shift the investigation at any point. "People are pursuing everything," the official said.
Investigators are pursuing the thesis that the anthrax terrorist is homegrown because of what they call "negative evidence": they simply have not found any proof linking the attacks to the Sept. 11 hijackings or to any foreign-sponsored groups such as al Qaeda.
"There is a lack of any substantive leads, or any clear-cut calling cards pointing to any organization," one Justice Department official explained.
IE, "negative evidence". What's the saying, "you can't prove a negative?" This is absurd. We have no proof of foreign groups so it must be someone else. Illogic at its extreme.
"At the same time, a preliminary analysis of the tainted letters by FBI specialists suggests a profile similar to that of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, the reclusive anti-technology mathematician whose deadly mail bombs killed three people and wounded 23 others over two decades, according to sources familiar with the investigation.If only they listened to Colonel Larsen long ago...FBI experts in handwriting and behavioral analysis suspect the anthrax-laced letters were composed by an educated person of foreign descent, (--really??? Was this expert Foster, before he turned?) but someone who has spent much time in the United States and become proficient in English, law enforcement sources say.
...Agents have called or visited many of the state's drug makers, asking about missing equipment or materials and employees who may have been fired or left under questionable circumstances.
"Most, if not all, of the companies in the industry have been meeting with the FBI of late," said Paul Fitzhenry, a spokesman for Peapack-based Pharmacia Co.
Others who confirmed visits included Schering-Plough Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Aventis Pharmaceuticals. Representatives from the companies said agents asked them not to discuss the details of their conversations.
SUSPICION TURNS DOMESTIC
The domestic terrorist theory has been receiving wider attention in recent days and sparked debate among experts not affiliated with the investigation. (hmmmm...wonder who these "experts" are) Robert Ressler, a former supervisor of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, believes agents should be looking for a home-grown bioterrorist.
"It is probably a person working in some lab somewhere," said Ressler. "And the hostility, the mental dysfunction, was present, but the triggering event (on Sept. 11) is what I think caused the person to do this."
But U.S. Air Force Col. (Ret.) Randall Larsen, an instructor and specialist on homeland security at the National War College, said such a plot would require expertise in engineering, microbiology and aerosol physics.
"I do not believe that a single individual -- I don't care how smart he is, Ted Kaczynski or whatever -- can make a sophisticated biological weapon," Larsen said. "It takes a team of people."
But they didn't want to listen to Col. Larsen. He was telling them something they didn't want to hear...
You gotta love making a decision based on "negative evidence". When, in fact, there is a boatload of evidence -- admittedly circumstantial -- connecting foreign terrorists to 9/11 and absolutely none -- circumstantial or otherwise -- pointing toward a domestic terrorist.
None are so blind...
Looking back, it's astonishing how quickly the FBI locked itself into the domestic perp theory. The first death from anthrax occurred only about a month prior to publication of this article. With all that was going on in the country in that month, the FBI could not possibly have collected enough evidence of any kind on the anthrax case (which was still unfolding across several states) to make any credible judgements whatsoever.