FBI stymied in efforts to solve anthrax case

[seemslikeadream]

By Scott Shane The New York Times

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2005


WASHINGTON Richard Lambert, the FBI inspector in charge of the investigation of the deadly anthrax letters of 2001, testified under oath for five hours last month about the case.

But Lambert was not testifying in a criminal trial - he and his team of FBI agents and postal inspectors have not found a suspected culprit. Instead, Lambert and a half-dozen other FBI and U.S. Justice Department officials have been forced to give depositions in a lawsuit filed by Steven Hatfill, the former U.S. Army biodefense expert who was under intense scrutiny for months.

Four years after an unknown bioterrorist dropped letters containing a couple of teaspoons of powder into a mailbox in Princeton, New Jersey, what began as the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history appears to be stalled, according to scientists and former law enforcement officials who have spoken with investigators.

The failure to solve the case the authorities call Amerithrax is a grave disappointment for the FBI and the Postal Inspection Service, the investigative arm of the U.S. Postal Service.

The letters, the first major bioterrorist attack in the United States, killed five people, sickened 17 others, temporarily crippled mail service and forced the temporary evacuation of U.S. federal buildings including Senate offices and the Supreme Court.


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http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/18/news/fbi.php

[ret5hd]

1. well, investigating your boss is "hard work". (nt)

[stepnw1f]

2. If I Mailed a Packet of Pot

You think they'll have a hard time finding me?

[stepnw1f]

3. We Know Bush's People Did It (nt)

[Missy M]

9. They would be at your door step the next day.

[vi5]

4. I still say...

that the likelihood is that this was a domestic (obviously given the strain) right wing terrorist and that they know who did it and scuttled the investigation because A)It would have shown yet again that our domestic terrorists are right wingers with the same ideology and belief system as Bush's base and B)It would have undercut the whole "islamo facism" plot line that was their main driving force in how they were going to see the "war on terror".

I'm not a tin foiler at all. This is pretty much my only conspiracy type theory.

[acmavm]

6. You know, I've sort of had the same idea. And I've always been certain

that they knew who did it.

[Rich Hunt]

8. yeah

I say it was domestic, but obviously not a big conspiracy tied to 9/11, but someone taking advantage of the events to make a sick joke....

Obviously someone who has access to information about such material...

[0007]

11. I think there may be something to what you're saying!

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. Botched early investigation

Wasted huge amount of time and resource trying to pin it on Iraq. Ignored obvious motives - every target was on the freep hate list.

Hmmm, no anthrax was mailed to Republicans or FOX News - duh.

:dunce:

[livvy]

7. If you lost your glasses in the house...

why would you look for them in the garage? This case will not be solved until this maladministration is exposed.

[LynnTheDem]

10. Can you say Patriot Act?

They got it. No more Anthrax.

[Toots]

12. evacuation of U.S. federal buildings including Senate offices and the Supr

You think any files were looked at or computers gone through during this "evacuation"? Hmmmm

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. BushCo and Cipro re: Sept. 11

Weren't Bush, Cheney and WH staff put on Cipro on Sept. 11? I seem to remember hearing that back then, and thought it very telling.

[Gyre]

14. "voluntary disablement" is the legal term for this.

They've got orders not to gather evidence against Hatfill so they say they're "stymied". Who's to say otherwise?

Gyre

[hootinholler]

23. No, I live near Frederick...

I don't think Hatfield is the culprit. The FBI turned this town upside-down and found didly against him, while trashing his life in the press as a 'person of interest'.

-Hoot

[still_one]

15. it was an inside job

probably ordered by the white house to keep the fear factor going

notice how it was the democrats and media who were attacked, NOT the repukes
or faux

[StrafingMoose]

16. Make your pick...

US military anthrax type, sent to media & senators that dared asking uneasy questions about 9/11 ...

Oh yea, these "ultra right wing" nuts... :eyes: Half of them are ignorant twits and the other half are people who actually believe the US govt pulled out the attacks to impose a "new world order". What a great suspect eh? :sarcasm:

[leesa]

17. I'm sure it's a terrible disappointment. Don't look too closely at the

US military facility the anthrax came from. Don't view any security tapes or anything like that.

[LibDemAlways]

18. How many people had access to the stuff?

Who were they? Seems like this would be an easy one to solve - if the government was interested in solving it. Since the Bush Crime Family was more than likely involved, we'll probably never get the answer.

[raysr]

19. Why don't they try

looking at the CIA or maybe themselves?

[Barkley]

20. Why did they send anthrax to Tom Daschle?

I believe that those responsible meant to threaten any political opposition to how post 9-11 America was to unfold.

We're so concerned about find WMDs (which includes CW and BW) in other countries but can't (or won't) find bio terrorists in our own
country.

[seemslikeadream]

22. So he would vote for the Patriot Act

[Mnpaul]

24. Why did they send it to Daschle?

Because Daschle and Wellstone wanted an independent investigation into 9/11. We know how that turned out.

[Dover]

21. If it's NOT Steven Hatfill (and that's a big IF) then he is the fall guy

for a bigger fish. But you can bet it was an inside job.

And remember the timing......it was during that time right after 9/11 when the Patriot Act was rolled out and "security measures" were used like a hammer...and it was beginning to dawn on America that the new administration and their military, might bring down the curtain on the great American democratic experiment.
In this hushed, fear-induced, breath-holding moment it seemed they would use any means to accomplish their ends and the media/government were being brought to heel.

It is interesting how the Brokaw, Rather, Jennings news era came to
an end in one fell swoop. Coincidence? And how many reporters in Iraq and elsewhere have been killed by 'friendly fire'? We know there was and is a very tight rein on the media (those that haven't voluntarily cooperated). So draw your own conclusions. But DON'T EVER underestimate the depth and bredth of the power structure currently in place or their intentions.