http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/anthrax-news/ en-us Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:50:14 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049595/posts Current Biological Threat The risk of a large-scale biological attack on the Nation is significant. We know that our terrorist enemies have sought to use biological agents as instruments of their warfare, and we believe that capability is within their reach. I know many here today recall the anthrax attacks of 2001. As you know, Mr. Chairman, certain buildings occupied by Members of the Legislative Branch were temporarily closed while they were decontaminated. The magnitude of that terrorist attack is miniscule compared to the larger, anthrax release envisioned by our enemies. It is nonetheless exemplary of the potential health and... Department of Homeland Security Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049595/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:50:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048166/posts I never give time frames, because you never know where you'll have sufficient evidence to go public with a prosecution, " Mueller said. ABCNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048166/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:41:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047271/posts Dr Bruce Budowle has been in the FBI for over 20 years, heading one of its forensic laboratories. He looks back to the mysterious and still unsolved case of the anthrax envelopes which followed 9/11 and which moved bioterrorism combat to a new level. *** Robyn Williams: The shape of sleuthing to come, Angela van Daal at Bond University in Southern Queensland. She has been looking after Bruce Budowle, an FBI veteran of 20 years who's head of their lab in Virginia and is sometimes called the FBI's top scientist. He's not only involved in forensics but also in the... ABC.net.au http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047271/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:20:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046494/posts "We have still failed to solve the anthrax attacks that killed Americans on our soil in 2001. We know that Al Qaida was attempting to develop biological weapons in Afghanistan. And we know that the successful deployment of a biological weapon -- whether it is sprayed into our cities or spread through our food supply -- could kill tens of thousands of Americans and deal a crushing blow to our economy. As President, I will launch an effort across our government to stay ahead of this threat. To prevent bioterrorism, we need to invest in our analysis, enhance our information-sharing,... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046494/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:48:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045660/posts Excerpt from book: “The anthrax spores in the letter to Daschle were so professionally refined, the Central Intelligence Agency believed the powder must have been sent by an experienced terrorist organization, most probably Al Qaeda, as a sequel to the group’s September 11 attacks. During a [October 17] meeting of the White House’s National Security Council that day, Cheney, who was sitting in for the President because Bush was traveling abroad, urged everyone to keep this inflammatory speculation secret. ... They thought Cheney had already been lethally infected. ... *** Cheney in particular was so stricken by the potential for... ABCNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045660/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:49:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044820/posts There are a large number of True Believers who have no problem stating that they believe Dr. Philip Zack is or could be the anthrax mailer. And their beliefs are about as illogical as the beliefs that Dr. Hatfill or al Qaeda sent the anthrax letters. These people, who appear to be mostly neo-Nazis, have singled out Dr. Philip Zack as their suspect, and they are very vocal about it. They first started contacting me with their beliefs back in 2002. Since a little research showed there was no solid reason to suspect Dr. Zack, my thinking back then was... www.anthraxinvestigation.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044820/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:43:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043554/posts Leahy: I almost hate to get into the case of Steven Hatfill. I've refrained from discussing this, I've refused to discuss it with the press. I've told them some aspects of it I was aware of were classified so of course I could not discuss it but also, considering the fact that my life was threatened by an anthrax letter, two people died who touched a letter addressed to me I was supposed to open, I'm somewhat concerned. What happened? Mukasey: That case ... Leahy: We're paying Hatfill millions of dollars, the indication being the guy who committed the crime... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043554/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:36:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038955/posts Former Agent Explains What Went Wrong in the Investigation The anthrax investigation, almost from the beginning, was hampered by top-heavy leadership from high ranking, but inexperienced FBI officials, which led to a close-minded focus on just one suspect and amateurish investigative techniques that robbed agents in the field the ability operate successfully. I saw it firsthand as one of the FBI agents assigned to the anthrax case and directly involved in the investigation of Dr. Steven Hatfill. While I cannot comment on the guilt or innocence of Hatfill, I think I have a sense of some of the things that... ABC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038955/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 03:11:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038676/posts Steven Hatfill finally has his life back. Thanks to FBI incompetence, he also has $5.8 million. ... It's worse because it is a virtual confession that the anthrax case is cold. Throughout one of the largest investigations in law-enforcement history, agents were fixated on a "lone wolf" theory that Director Robert Mueller's FBI, for all intents and purposes, now admits was wrong. Helped along by a sympathetic press corps, the obsession with a domestic perpetrator has ended up in a dead end. *** So the FBI needed to cast a wider net all along – which still remains urgent. In... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038676/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:49:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038168/posts WASHINGTON -- The federal investigation into the deadly anthrax mailings of late 2001 was undermined by leaks and a premature fixation on a single suspect, according to investigators and scientists involved in the case. More than six years after the mailings, no one has been charged, and the top suspect, former Army scientist Steven J. Hatfill was all but exonerated Friday when the U.S. Justice Department agreed to pay him $5.82 million to settle a lawsuit. Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038168/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:32:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037846/posts (Washington, D.C.) – The following is a statement from Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) in reaction to today’s announcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that it had agreed to pay former Army biowarfare expert Dr. Steven Hatfill $5.8 million in a settlement related to the FBI’s previously naming Hatfill a “person of interest” in the investigation of the 2001 anthrax letter attacks on the United States. The attacks originated from a postal box in Holt’s central New Jersey congressional district, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of many of his constituents: “As today’s settlement announcement confirms, this case was botched from... Holt's website http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037846/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:24:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037589/posts WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced Friday that it would pay $4.6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Steven J. Hatfill, a former Army biodefense researcher intensively investigated as a “person of interest” in the deadly anthrax letters of 2001. The settlement, consisting of $2.825 million in cash and an annuity paying Dr. Hatfill $150,000 a year for 20 years, brings to an end a five-year legal battle that had recently threatened a reporter with large fines for declining to name sources she said she did not recall. Dr. Hatfill, who worked at the Army’s laboratory at Fort Detrick... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037589/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:33:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037488/posts The Justice Department on Friday agreed to pay more than $5.8 million to Steven Hatfill, the former government scientist once branded by the Justice Department a person of interest in the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001. The legal settlement to Hatfill, in cash and an annual payments, signals the end of a civil lawsuit Hatfill brought against the Justice Department and FBI, accusing them of violating his privacy rights by improperly leaking sensitive information about the anthrax investigation to reporters. "I think it's a gratifying end to a very sad chapter in [Hatfill's] life and that of the FBI and... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037488/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:48:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035530/posts Video urges that US-based supporters of the Salafi-Jihadists were responsible for the anthrax mailings in Fall 2001 (through infiltration of the UK and US biodefense establishment revealed by the documentary evidence). The reason the Administration has kept this information from the public is insufficient. The Administration should now come forward with what it knows about the anthrax mailings before the November election so that the White House might best explain what happened and why things took the course it did. YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035530/posts#comment Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:46:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000927/posts On Friday, the government filed this statement of the facts in its memorandum in support of its motion for summary judgment in a civil rights and Privacy Act lawsuit brought by Dr. Steve Hatfill. “The anthrax attacks occurred in October 2001. Public officials, prominent members of the media, and ordinary citizens were targeted by this first bio-terrorist attack on American soil. Twenty-two persons were infected with anthrax; five died. At least 17 public buildings were contaminated. The attacks wreaked havoc on the U.S. postal system and disrupted government and commerce, resulting in economic losses estimated to exceed one billion dollars.... US DOJ and FBI Memorandum In Support of Motion For Summary Judgment (Statement of Facts) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000927/posts#comment Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:20:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995125/posts The “Teflon Terrorist” And Risk Of Infiltration Ron Kessler in his new book The Terrorist Watch quotes FBI Director Robert Mueller on the subject of WMD and the risk of infiltration: “Al Qaeda is tremendously patient and thinks nothing about taking years to infiltrate persons in and finding the right personnel and opportunity to undertake an attack. And we cannot become complacent, because you look around the world, and whether it’s London or Madrid or Bali or recently Casablanca or Algiers, attacks are taking place.” In November 2007, FBI Director Mueller gave a speech in which he warned against the... Blogger News Network http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995125/posts#comment Tue, 1 Apr 2008 21:31:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993209/posts WASHINGTON — The FBI has narrowed its focus to "about four" suspects in the 6 1/2-year investigation of the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001, and at least three of those suspects are linked to the Army’s bioweapons research facility at Fort Detrick in Maryland, FOX News has learned.Among the pool of suspects are three scientists — a former deputy commander, a leading anthrax scientist and a microbiologist — linked to the research facility, known as USAMRIID. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993209/posts#comment Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:08:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990169/posts Jamestown Foundation has an article this month about instructions for making anthrax posted on a jihadi internet forum. “A forum participant, nicknamed al-Faz, posted a detailed description of anthrax production techniques dedicated to jihadis everywhere: ‘Long awaited good news for you, God’s soldiers. It’s time to use biological weapons against God’s enemies.’” “Photos are included of the microscopic phases of the process, including the extraction of anthrax bacteria from a sample of dirt that contains the infected remains of dead goats or other grazing animals’ remnants.” The original posting includes safety instructions for the different phases of production. It reminds... Blogger News Network http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1990169/posts#comment Sun, 23 Mar 2008 07:31:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982377/posts A federal judge held a former USA Today reporter in contempt of court Friday and ordered her to pay up to $5,000 a day if she refuses to identify her sources for stories about a former Army scientist under scrutiny in the 2001 anthrax attacks. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said Toni Locy must pay fines out of her own pocket as long as she continues to defy his order that she cooperate in scientist Steven J. Hatfill's lawsuit against the government. Hatfill accuses the Justice Department of violating his privacy by discussing the investigation with reporters. Locy had... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982377/posts#comment Sat, 8 Mar 2008 10:15:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978294/posts WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The Pentagon can require its troops be vaccinated against anthrax, a federal judge said Friday. Judge Rosemary M. Collyer said the Food and Drug Administration acted appropriately when it found the vaccine to be safe and approved its use. She dismissed a lawsuit by military officials who argued the drug is unproven and the scientific data unsound. "The court will not substitute its own judgment when the FDA made no clear error of judgment," Collyer wrote. The dispute has languished in the court system for years. A federal judge suspended the vaccination program in 2004 after faulting... AP via SFGate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978294/posts#comment Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:15:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972991/posts WASHINGTON - A federal judge said Tuesday he will hold a former USA Today reporter in contempt if she continues refusing to identify sources for stories about a former Army scientist under scrutiny in the 2001 anthrax attacks. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said reporter Toni Locy defied his order last August that she cooperate with Steven J. Hatfill in his lawsuit against the government. Walton indicated he would impose a fine until she divulged her sources, but that he would take a few more days to decide whether to postpone the penalty as she pursues an appeal. The... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972991/posts#comment Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:44:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973083/posts Judge Threatens Contempt in Anthrax Case By HOPE YEN – 1 hour ago WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge said Tuesday he will hold a former USA Today reporter in contempt of court if she continues refusing to identify sources for stories about a former Army scientist under scrutiny in the 2001 anthrax attacks. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said reporter Toni Locy defied his order last August that she cooperate with Steven J. Hatfill in his lawsuit against the government. Walton indicated he would impose a fine until she divulged her sources, but that he would take a... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973083/posts#comment Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:08:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972850/posts WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge says he will hold a former USA Today reporter in contempt if she continues refusing to identify sources for stories about a former Army scientist under scrutiny in the 2001 anthrax attacks. At a hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said that reporter Toni Locy (LOW-see) must cooperate with Steven J. Hatfill in his lawsuit against the government. Hatfill is suing the Justice Department, saying the agency violated the federal Privacy Act by giving the media information about the FBI's investigation of him. In addition to Locy, the judge is considering whether... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972850/posts#comment Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:08:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1963119/posts U.N. Keeps Quiet on Suspect Boxes From North Korea By BENNY AVNI Staff Reporter of the Sun February 1, 2008 UNITED NATIONS — U.N. officials failed to inform New York or federal authorities about an illness suffered by two employees who had handled boxes shipped here from North Korea — boxes that might have been contaminated — U.N. sources said. The U.N. contractors suffered headaches and nausea and felt sick enough to report the incident and seek treatment. The U.N. security authorities were concerned enough to deploy their own hazardous-material team but failed to seal the site where the incident... NY Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1963119/posts#comment Fri, 1 Feb 2008 11:38:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1959301/posts MIT and New York University researchers have identified a weakness in the defenses of the anthrax bacterium that could be exploited to produce new antibiotics. The researchers found that nitric oxide (NO) is a critical part of Bacillus anthracis's defense against the immune response launched by cells infected with the bacterium. Anthrax bacteria that cannot produce NO succumb to the immune system's attack. Stephen Lippard, the Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at MIT and an author of a paper on the work, said antibiotics developed to capitalize on this vulnerability could be effective against other bacteria that employ the... newsoffice@mit.edu http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1959301/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:27:08 GMT