FBI to drain pond in anthrax probe

Orlando Sentinel ^ | May 11, 2003 | Marilyn Thompson

[pttttt]

WASHINGTON -- The FBI has developed a new theory on a central mystery of the 2001 anthrax attacks after finding evidence in a Frederick, Md., pond that may suggest how an ingenious criminal could have packed deadly anthrax spores into envelopes without killing or sickening himself, sources close to the investigation said.

[Calpernia]

I haven't seen any updates on the Pakistani leads though.

>>>
http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/conditions/11/02/anthrax/

FBI agents, many wearing oversized, white hazardous-materials suits, on Friday raided an apartment in Trenton, New Jersey, where four Pakistani men lived. Agents removed several bags of materials from the apartment. None of the apartment's residents were home at the time of the raid, the building manager said, but witnesses said one man who lived there came home during the search and was taken away in a police car.

AND

Pakistan's science minister said Friday that tests have confirmed that two people at separate locations have been exposed to anthrax, and at least one of four suspect letters received at three locations in the country contained anthrax. Neither of the two people exposed has exhibited symptoms of the disease, said Science and Technology Minister Atta-ur-Rahman.
>>>
What happened with these leads?

[Sacajaweau]

btt

[Young Rhino]

After the government's finest drain the pond, maybe they can figure out how Dr. Evil attaches lasers to the heads of sharks.

[Wolfstar]

Very early after the news about anthrax at American Media first surfaced, I immediately began collecting every news story about it. Why? It was shortly after 9/11 and, like most Americans at the time, I was alert to any news item that even remotely sounded like it could be terrorist related.

As it became clear that the American Media case was not an isolated one, I decided to continue collecting news stories with the intention of posting an anthrax attacks timeline here on FR. The stories came fast and furiously during October and November — too fast to make posting a timeline, well, timely, since it would need to be updated almost constantly. So I was waiting until it seemed that events slowed down. I had everything I collected on my computer hard drive at work, along with the timeline I had constructed. That PC was several years old and due for replacement in 2002. Much to my chagrin, the hard drive crashed and I lost all that timeline info.

However, because of my intense interest back then, and the amount of time I spent reading every story to piece together that timeline, and due to my continuing interest ever since, I have not forgotten the essential facts of the first attack.

The essential — key — facts I listed are widely known from many news reports. Regarding your specific questions: If you look at my previous post on this thread, I did not mention JLo. You did. "Rant" is my one-word description for what I remember was reported about that first letter. My memory of the description of the powder was that it was termed "brownish" white. Statements from American Media employees as to what they remembered of the postmark, and information about contaminated post offices in South Florida, led to reporting that authorities believed the letter was mailed in South Florida. I don't know who Phil Brennan is so cannot comment about him.

The essential facts are: (1) An anthrax-laced letter was received at American Media. It was the first in the string of such letters sent in late 2001. (2) It was never recovered. (3) Contemporaneous news reports — meaning reports published before anyone knew that letter was the first in a series — said that AMA employees remembered the letter arrived around the 8th of September. (The 8th was a Saturday that year.) (4) Mohammed Atta and several of his gang were staying in the same locality as the AMA building. Atta rented an apartment from the wife of one of the top AMA executives. (5) Separately, a doctor and a pharmacist told authorities that two hijackers had severe skin problems. The doctor is convinced the one he treated had a cutaneous anthrax lesion. (6) Also in the same locality, Atta sought information about the uses of crop dusters, which leads to the logical conclusion that he was considering some kind of chem or bioweapons attack from the air.

These essential facts have been widely reported. Perhaps they constitute a series of coincidences. The likelihood is that we will never know for sure unless someone confesses to all the anthrax attacks and is able to support his confession with incontrovertible proof of his guilt.

[Wolfstar]

Good list of "coincidences." There were a minimum of two anthrax letters that were never recovered: the first one and the one sent to Dan Rather's office. The critical one is the first, for several reasons. Had it been recovered, we would have incontrovertible proof of when and where it was mailed. It's content was different from the known letters, which means it may have contained clues to the sender's identity. In fact, as described in news reports, the first letter is so different from the four recovered letters, that it not outside the realm of possibility that all but the first were copycats of the firt.

[bvw]

Re when the mailings occured: How do we know ATTA himself didn't drop them in a postal box on his way up to Maine? Right after 9/11 commerce and traffic in the greater NYC area was considerably disrupted.

[weegee]

That Florida anthrax attack is the piece in the puzzle the media often likes to ignore these days.

It occurred first and may have predated 9.11.2001.

[bvw]

There were also letters sent to media-types that had excrement in them with block lettering, there was some panic over those letters. I think that was coincidence, but it may have thrown much of the initial investigation off-kilter.

[bvw]

Since I'm in a wandering state of mind today, let me suggest the following: ATTA stopped by the WTC on his way up the east coast to Maine. In Maine he flew to Logan, Boston. There in New York, or nearby he posted the envelopes. When traffic in lower Manhattan was shut down for some days, that mail got delayed.

This may explain the nurse in NY and Otilie Ludgren in Connecticut, and the boxes in central Jersey.

[Doc Savage]

Yep. that's exactly the way I'd do it. Just get me an ol canoe and create an airtight,..............hey pal, what exactly are you smoking?

Yeah, no one would ever notice that for sure! Great plan!

[Sacajaweau]

I'm still tossing around the possibility that the snipers (Malvo & Mohammed) were somehow involved with the anthrax.

Sure shot auto is in Trenton, NJ (same as anthrax postmarks) and it was registered on 9-11-02.

Malvo left school in FLORIDA on Oct 5th, the day Bob Stevens of AMI in FLORIDA died of anthrax. He told no one he was leaving.He did not arrive at the mission until October 20th. He supposedly took the bus but I have yet to see something definite on that point.

Malvo & Mohammed were picked up Oct 24th or 25th on Route 70 in Maryland, not far from the ponds they are searching and we got into this pond searching not too long after their capture.

Just mulling this over on instincts and knowing the FBI won't tell us everything, and in fact, may be feeding us disinformation.

[craig_eddy]

I said LIKE under an overturned canoe, assuming everyone would understand the illustration. Didn't mean to imply that a canoe was actually used as it's probably not as air tight as one would like.

[Calpernia]

Good research. Thanks.

[bvw]

How can you say they were "mailed" on those days?

[Thane_Banquo]

Will they find the center fuel tank?

I doubt it, but they might run across Ol' Jimmy Hoffa.