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The trail that led to Bruce Ivins as the prime suspect in the 2001 deadly anthrax mailings ended when the government scientist died of a drug overdose in July as the FBI prepared to arrest him for the attacks. Six months later, the New York Times has published what it touted as "the deepest look so far at the investigation" of his role in the attacks based on interviewed with Ivins's friends, colleagues, anthrax experts and law enforcement officers involved in the probe.

The most surprising revelation: the long string of clues that Ivins, who worked in the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), left behind dismissed by FBI agents trying to track the source of anthrax that killed five people, sickened 17 others and caused panic at a time when the wounds of the September 11 terrorist attacks were still fresh.

Among the many clues ignored, according to the Times: The Army learned that in December 2001 Ivins had secretly swabbed for anthrax spores outside his secure laboratory space at USAMRIID (a federal biodefense research lab at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., where he had worked for 18 years) but failed to report the incident immediately to his superiors at the lab as per standard procedure. Records later showed, the Times reports, that Ivins had worked "unusually late hours" in his lab for several nights before each of the anthrax mailings.

Ivins, though highly skilled at handling anthrax, did not become a suspect even after the FBI determined that the anthrax had not been weaponized and likely came from a domestic source, as Scientific American.com reported in September.*

In one chilling anecdote in the Times story, Nancy Haigwood, now director of the Oregon National Primate Research Center and a former classmate of Ivins at the University of North Carolina, recounts receiving an e-mail from Ivins containing a photograph of him working with anthrax in the laboratory without gloves--a very dangerous safety breach. "I read that e-mail," she said, "and I thought, 'He did it.' "

* Erratum (2/1209): The original sentence stated that the FBI determined that the anthrax had been weaponized.

3 Comments

1. 1. Bobby Bureau 08:00 PM 1/5/09

   This was an insubstantial and misconceived response to the NYT article. Ivins did the testing in response to a concern expressed by a lab tech that there was contamination. There was a 361 report done at the time. It was where they had been testing thousands of letters. He reported it to the chief ethicist. And if you think some woman's reaction is any part of a "steady stream of clues" then let's hope you don't serve on a jury.

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2. 2. GotchaLookin 01:13 AM 1/6/09

   Also, read "VACCINE A" by Gary Matsumoto published by Basic Books. On pages 51-55 Gary reports on Dr. Bruce Ivins participation with Dr. Susan Welko in deciding to adulterate the anthrax vaccine with the MF59 squalene adjuvant - which lead to severe autoimmune disease symptoms in military personnel given the Bio-Port produced batches. See also, "A CALL TO ARMS" a documentary directed by Scott Miller for first-person interviews of victims of the mandatory anthrax vaccine program in the United States and United Kingdom.

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3. 3. zapakramp 02:31 AM 1/7/09

   What other clues aren't they following? Was Irvin behind forcing thousands of soldiers in the First Gulf War to take Pyridostigmine Bromide as an anti-anthrax agent? This substance has caused untold pain and suffering and is the suspected culprit behind the "Gulf War Syndrome". Soldiers who refused to take the series of pills faced court martial. Now medications they take do just the opposite of what they are supposed to do. Victims complain of muscle pain, weakness, inability to think, lethargy, etc.

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