jpl, that sort of unwarranted invective just plays into the hands of Zawahiri’s strategy of infiltrating and using the weapons of his enemies. It’s only the guy (Ali) talking alongside the blind sheik’s son, a member of AQ’s WMD committee, that is the bad guy in the story.
Relying on an unnamed “law enforcement source,” FoxNews recently reported that the FBI has narrowed its investigation to “about individuals — to include a leading anthrax scientist, a former Deputy Commander and a microbiologist linked to USAMRIID. USAMRIID found that the powder made by leading scientist Ken Alibek was closest. It was assumed by the person who had spoken with the email writer that former deputy commander Chuck Bailey knew what his colleague was doing. (The email appears to be from June 2006).
Dr. Alibek and Dr. Bailey were working at the George Mason University Center for Biodefense (and Hadron) under a contract using Delta Ames that they had obtained from NIH. There were two multi-million dollar DARPA grants funding the USAMRIID contract. A $3.6 million grant MDA972-01-C-0084 was awarded July 2001 by DARPA. There was also an earlier grant DAMD17-01-C-0033 awarded by the Department of the Army. Ken was Principal Investigator for “Novel Therapeutic and Prophylatic Modalities to Protect U.S. Armed Forces Against Major Biological Threat Agents” and would report on the contract with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.
Ali Al-Timimi, who had been taught by and was working with Bin Laden’s sheik, had access to pre-patent, pre-classification know-how. See, e.g., March 14, 2001 patent application relating to use of silica to concentrate pathogens. Dr. Alibek and Dr. Bailey were not — are not — guilty of anything. Â Indeed, it was Ken, who has always been helpful to everyone, who years ago told me the FBIÂ’s theory. The Washington Post first reported the FBI suspected Al-Timimi of involvement in the anthrax mailings in September 2006 in an article titled “Hardball Tactics in an Era of Threats.” The Post cited named FBI agents who submitted an affidavit in support of a search. In contrast, the anonymous writer of the USAMRIID email, of course, only has the limited perspective of the forensics — what powder was said to be the closest match. The email writer is sharing the perspective of someone looking in a microscope rather than a broad view of the FBI’s investigative interest and theory as to motive. A long while ago, before he stopped working in biodefense and turned to cancer and cardiac research, Ken told me that in a draft of Biohazard2 he was going to explain his view that the perpetrator used a fluidized bed dryer instead of a spraydryer. After Major General John Parker officially confirmed that the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology had detected silica, former Deputy Commander Bailey — Alibek’s co-director of the Center for Biodefense at GMU– told a reporter that the presence of silica is significant, but he declined to say why, citing national security concerns. ”I don’t think I want to give people — terrorists — any information to help them, said Dr. Bailey. Now the problem was that at about the time he said that, the man in contact with and mentored by Bin Laden’s sheik al-Hawali was at a desk about 15 feet away. Ali was roughly 15 feet from Ken’s unsecured computer and 15 feet from Charles’ unsecured computer. (The area has been entirely renovated and looks totally different). William Patrick in an interview says he used to keep his bioweapons formulas in black notebooks on the bookshelf in his living room. As Ken says, when asked if a student of his could have weaponized the anthrax that was mailed — the knowledge is out there. Indeed, it might just be a bookshelf away. Ali arranged to have a message from Bin Laden’s sheik hand-delivered to every member of Congress on the first anniversary of the anthrax mailing to the Senators. Like Ken says, this isn’t rocket science.
Dr. Alibek confirmed for me yesterday and today that my interpretation of the FoxNews report is mistaken. He hasn’t seen an FBI agent in 6 years, was never asked for his handwriting etc. and so the FoxNews report, he reports, does not fit him or his former colleagues. He says he no longer works in the biodefense area but is involved in cardiac and cancer research.
Dr. Alibek confirmed for me yesterday and today that my interpretation of the FoxNews report is mistaken. He hasn’t seen an FBI agent in 6 years, was never asked for his handwriting etc. and so the FoxNews report, he reports, does not fit him or his former colleagues. He says he no longer works in the biodefense area but is involved in cardiac and cancer research.