Sunday, August 3, 2008

New legs in anthrax case

If somebody were hoping that the suicidic death of Ft. Detrick bio-weapons researcher Bruce Ivins (suspect in the 2001 "Amerithrax" attacks) would cut the loose ends of the case once and for all, quite the opposite seems to be transpiring... As Glenn Greenwald asks, who were the multiple credible sources from Ft. Detrick who told ABC news that the anthrax spores contained bentonite (suggesting links to Iraq)? Many commenters are repeating the question to ABC news; it will be interesting to see if and how they answer in the coming days.

As any good investigator knows, one looks to possible motive as much as to physical evidence, understanding that multiple motives can be present; for instance, furthering imperial stratagems on the one hand, while enjoying a personal vengeance on the other. Senators Leahy & Daschle, of the "opposition" party, and the major news organisations of the "liberal" media, would make likely targets to further the imperial aims (a way of saying: 'yes, we are this ruthless, don't stand in our way'), but why target a tabloid photo editor?

As has been noted elsewhere...

"For Bush it was personal. A picture of his drunken daughter made him look bad and brought up all his drinking, drugging and partying issues. And who knows, maybe he loves his daughter and was angry about the publication of a picture that made her look like a drunken whore."

Another question you ask about your suspect: is he or she planning to flee?

Bush Paraguay Land Grab Incites Unease

"Concern increased last week with the arrival of Bush" daughter, Jenna, and a source from the Physical Planning Department saying that most of the Chaco region belongs to private companies."

Like those naughty nazis of so many years ago, where do you run when things get out of hand...?

Off to Paraguay!

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Update, Aug. 22

Case not closed - Nature takes on the defense against the Department of Justice would-be prosecution of Ivins, suggesting plenty of room for reasonable doubt.

Other persons of interest should include members of the "camel club" - a clique at Ft. Detrick in the early '90s who had a strong dislike for their Egyptian co-worker Dr. Ayaad Assaad, who apparently was the subject of an attempted framing in the 2001 anthrax attacks, before the first victim was claimed, as detailed in a Dec. 19 '01 Hartford Courant story.

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Update, Nov. 16

Ivins is basically cleared:

Scientific impossibility: Did FBI get their man in Bruce Ivins?

Interestingly enough, his own independent investigation had zeroed in (or nearly so) on the real culprit. In an email to himself: “I should have it TOTALLY nailed down within the month. I should have been a private eye.”

1 comment:

KRZog said...

Supposing that Ivins was one of the Ft. Detrick sources for the ABC story, and supposing he was guilty, his actions certainly would have aligned him with the "imperial stratagem".

His letters to the editor were curious indeed. Though it's difficult to make out whether he was an anti-Semite or a Christian Zionist.