The anthrax bombings were once again in the headlines with the FBI announcing they had figured out whodunnit. Problem is that their suspect (a Dr. Bruce Ivins from USAMRIID, the Army's germ laboratory at Ft. Detrick, MD) died from "an apparent suicide" shortly before the announcement and the entire case seems to hinge on weak circumstantial evidence. Here are some questions that, if I were on a jury, would give me a reasonable doubt as to their conclusions:
- Why wasn't an autopsy performed on Ivins? Only a blood test was performed and found that there was a large dose of Tylenol and codeine. An autopsy might reveal traces of the strain of anthrax used in the attacks, which still is inconclusive but an autopsy seems like a given when the government's prime suspect dies of unnatural causes.
- Is there a definitive answer as to whether the attack anthrax had additives that point towards weaponization? There have been conflicting answers about this from numerous researchers, government spokespeople and the media. If there were not any additives how did the anthrax disperse so freely after being in envelopes through sorting machines etc?
- There doesn't appear to be any evidence that the letters were written by Ivins - no matches from the handwriting, no DNA.
- Why does the FBI think a lone, crazy guy did it rather than a group?
- The FBI has stated the flask of anthrax that matched genetically to the attack anthrax was in the the sole custody of Ivins but other employees at USAMRIID said other researchers had access as well.
- There is no evidence placing Ivins in NJ to mail the letters other than the FBI's very weak link that a storage closet for a sorority that Ivins was obsessed with is near the mailbox where the letters were mailed.
- The substance abuse counselor that Ivins was seeing (Jean Duley - long history of substance abuse problems herself, including DUI offenses while seeing patients) has minimal credibility and seems to have been given sensitive case-related information by the FBI. Was she given a deal to finger Ivins and thus a motive to make stuff up?
- Ivins apparently had a history of mental illness and substance abuse. How would someone with so many problems be able to hide incriminating evidence from the FBI for 6-7 years while they pursued Hatfill?
- Was Ivins given a polygraph and what were the results?
- The FBI made a point that Ivins was staying late in the lab during the times around the attacks and could not explain why. They claim he was alone - is this verified? Could he have been meeting someone there, for example another woman?
- The access logs for this lab say he stayed late exactly 2 hours 15 minutes for three consecutive nights. Has this type of coincidence happened with other researchers as well? And is it unusual for nerdy researchers to stay late at their lab? And government employees to stay late right after 9/11?
Labels: anthrax, government
