Posted on behalf of Amber Dance
US senator Patrick Leahy says he does not believe the FBI theory that researcher Bruce Ivins acted alone in carrying out the 2001 anthrax attacks in the US.
Robert Mueller, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation told the US Congress this week that he was confident of his agency’s conclusion. But senators and representatives were not so convinced, as they quizzed him on the “Amerithrax” investigation that ultimately led the Bureau to conclude Bruce Ivins, a researcher at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases who recently committed suicide, was the sole perpetrator of the 2001 anthrax mailings.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), whose office received one of the anthrax-laced envelopes, told Mueller, “If he is the one who sent the letter, I do not believe in any way, shape or manner that he is the only person involved in this attack on Congress and the American people” (New York Times).
Mueller announced that the National Academy of Sciences will conduct an independent review of the scientific breakthroughs that led the FBI to focus on Ivins. Selection of the Academy panel may be difficult, as the 60 scientists with the most obvious expertise were tapped for the FBI investigation. The investigation could take up to 18 months to complete and is likely to cost up to one million dollars (Associated Press).
But Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said the Academy review isn’t good enough. “The academy would only be reviewing the science, not the detective work,” he said. “I believe we need an independent review of both” (San Francisco Chronicle). Mueller refused to acknowledge any missteps in the seven-year investigation that for years focused on the now-exonerated Steven Hatfill. Mueller said the FBI’s every move was “appropriate…given the information that we had at that particular time.”
Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) quizzed Mueller on the silicon supposedly found in the anthrax spores. A silicon-containing coating could have made the spores better able to float individually in the air, making them more dangerous. While 2001 reports indicated the spores were weaponized, the FBI has since said that was not the case. After the hearing, Peter Jahrling, a scientist at USAMRIID in 2001, admitted that he made “an honest mistake” in telling the White House the spores had been prepared using advanced techniques (Los Angeles Times). “I should never have ventured into this area,” said Jahrling, whose expertise is in viruses, not bacteria such as anthrax.
In related news, Ivins’ family has been snagged in a legal snafu over disposal of his remains. Ivins wished to be cremated, and his ashes scattered, in violation of Catholic doctrine. Apparently afraid that his family would not honor his wishes, he inserted a condition in his will: if the family can’t provide proof that they scattered his ashes, $50,000 from his estate will go to Planned Parenthood, an organization his wife, former president of Frederick County Right to Life, would be loath to support (New York Times).