The FBI investigation into the deadly 2001 anthrax mail attacks was misguided by hearsay and a suspect's untimely purchase of antibiotic drugs, according to court documents released yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 18).
(Nov. 26) -
Former U.S. Army scientist Steven Hatfill was exonerated of being involved with the 2001 anthrax mailings (Mike Theiler/Getty Images).
Following the five deaths inflicted by mailed anthrax powder, investigators looked at U.S. scientists who had access to the strain of the lethal bacteria used in the attacks. They soon focused on Steven Hatfill, a scientist who had worked in a U.S. biological defense laboratory at Ft. Detrick, Md., after an informer reported that Hatfill said he had been a mercenary adviser to Rhodesian armed forces in 1979 and 1980, according to a 2002 FBI affidavit released yesterday. Those military units have been suspected of employing biological weapons against rebel groups during a civil war that eventually led to the creation of Zimbabwe.
In time, then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft publicly identified Hatfill as a "person of interest" in the investigation, and government officials effectively ruined his scientific career before officially exonerating him three months ago and agreeing to a nearly $6 million court settlement with him. The FBI has announced that the mail culprit was another Ft. Detrick scientist who killed himself as officials were preparing to indict him (see GSN, Aug. 7).
The search-warrant affidavit by FBI Special Agent Mark Morin, released yesterday among other related documents, also noted that Hatfill had picked up prescriptions for the powerful antibiotic Ciprofloxacin exactly two days before each of the two anthrax mailings. He later denied taking the drug at all, the affidavit says.
Hatfill's attorney expressed doubt yesterday over that assertion, saying that Hatfill had legitimate medical reasons for taking the drug.
"It's well known that Dr. Hatfill had Cipro prescribed to him after nasal surgery" which he underwent in mid-September 2001, attorney Thomas Connolly told the Los Angeles Times. The affidavit also reports that Hatfill received Cipro prescriptions twice before in 2001.
Another Hatfill attorney said the experience should lead observers not to jump to conclusions.
"Search warrant affidavits are designed to raise suspicion -- that is their express purpose," said Mark Grannis in a statement to the Washington Post. "But like so much of what has been written about Dr. Hatfill in the past seven years, the affidavits released today cite sources whose names are unknown and whose credibility cannot be tested. Our repeated experience has been that people make wild accusations in secret, only to retract them under public questioning. Whether or not it was right for the government to rely on this kind of information to obtain a search warrant in 2002, we know in 2008 that Steven Hatfill had nothing to do with the anthrax attacks. It will be unfortunate for all involved if the release of these documents misleads anyone into thinking otherwise" (Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire, Nov. 26).