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FBI Identified Source Of Anthrax Years Ago, But Case Remained Unsolved And Ivins Continued Working
The big turning point in the FBI's seven-year investigation came when scientists confirmed that the anthrax used in the 2001 letter attacks came from a specific flask stored at the military lab at Fort Detrick in Maryland.
"The key breakthrough was the science that focused their attention laser-like on that flask," said U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor at a news conference today.
It was a flask that was "created and solely maintained" by Dr. Bruce Ivins, the key suspect who killed himself last week. Others at the lab also had access to the flask, officials said.
The FBI identified the flask as the source no later than March 2005, according to a set of court documents unsealed today.
But it was not until October 2007 that federal agents went to a judge seeking a search warrant for Ivins' home.
Identifying the source of the anthrax used in the attacks took several years.
In 2002, federal agents first asked for a sample from Ivins' jar of anthrax. He provided one but the FBI says it was bogus, possibly an effort to obstruct the investigation, according to the search warrant.
The feds were suspicious enough in April 2004 to send an FBI agent back to the military lab in Fort Detrick to seize the flask of anthrax, known as "RMR-1029." The flask was sealed with evidence tape and carried out by FBI contractors.
Nine months later, on March 31, 2005, the FBI confronted Ivins with their belief that he had not given them the sample they asked for.
"Dr. Ivins was adamant in his response that there had been no omission from his [REDACTED] submission, and he insisted that he had provided RMR-1029 to the FBI in his second submission samples in April 2002," according to the affidavit.
Even after that conversation, it took more than two years until they sought a search warrant for Ivins' home.
So what took so long?
Reporters posed that question to Taylor at this afternoon's press conference.
It's important to remember how complex, complicated, this investigation was. At the outset we had to identify the universe of persons and labs that might have access to this type of anthrax, once we identified what type of anthrax it was. And then over the years there were efforts to shrink the size of that pool. ...
We've got a video of the rest of his response.
Years ago there was a study that showed people tended to raise their eyebrows when they were lying.
August 6, 2008 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
The DoJ just has zero credibility.
August 6, 2008 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmm. That's like saying, "Ivins is the only suspect - but others could have done it."
This case has more holes than the plot of a Jackie Collins novel.
August 6, 2008 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Other people could have done it- but they're not dead.
August 7, 2008 12:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
If I were a conspiracy theorist, I'd say the man was murdered. By covert operatives in the administration to keep him quiet.
August 6, 2008 7:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep. Ivins was suicided. I expect we'll see an epidemic of suicides among "persons of interest" over the next 6 months or so.
I'm keeping my tinfoil hat shiny.
August 7, 2008 9:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't know why the refusal of the FBI to make this terrorist known would be a surprise to anyone.
Anyone who has the slightest awareness realizes that this administration is built on keeping the voters frightened.
Airport security...what a joke. No reason other than forcing hunreds of thousands of Americans to submit to police tactics, for their own safety.
Terrists ya know...now take off them sandals ya heah....
Leaving this sadistic bastard out there hanging over everyones head is just more of the same.
And if the fucking chimp wasn't due for eviction in a few months, the assholes never would have outed him.
Wonder how many will hang this one of the GOP?
McCain skates some more.
August 6, 2008 7:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your Foucault is a little rusty there, champ.
August 6, 2008 8:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Video is gone, any chance we can get another link or else the rest of the transcript?
August 6, 2008 8:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Garden Bear,
I agree. This is just as bogus as the false story (Oct ’01) that their forensic scientists had found bentonite in the anthrax proving it could only have come from Sadaam Hussein’s Bio-weapons labs.
The director of whole Lab division that Ivins worked in (who does not buy the gov story) has said that, as far as he knows, no one at the facility had the knowledge, expertise, or access to making dry (powdered) anthrax.
It is not possible that one individual did this. It is no coincidence that the targets of the weaponized anthrax (as opposed to the clumpy stuff sent to the television networks) just happened to be the US Senators blocking the rush to passage of the Patriot Act while the white house staff had been given a supply of and told to take Cipro on 9/11/2001, the date on at least 1 or 2 of the notes accompanying the envelopes.
The best info I have seen, destroying the credibility of the story, comes from Dr. Meryl Nas, an anthrax expert and one of Ivin's colleagues in an interview on Democracy now: (www dot democracynow dot org/2008/8/4/anthrax)
Glenn Greenwald at salon also has good stuff and was interviewed at the same time.
Larisa Alexandrovna as always has an excellent series of investigative reports on this at her blog site: (www dot atlargely dot com/2008/08/jean-c-duley-te.html). The new social worker (is completely unbelievable.
Jeffrey Taylor (US Attorney, Washinton DC): Not one word from this interim US Attorney should be trusted. He is one of the partisan hack replacements of the US Attorney's scandal and was brought in to block enforcement of Congressional subpoenas’ and to cover up the Bush regime crimes.
Ohiomeister,
I just watched the video on You Tube (tpmtv's channel). Here is the URL: (www dot YouTube dot com/watch?v=vsMvuvvOZFk).
This whole thing stinks to high heavans. Their claims about Ivin's add more circumstantial evidence to the compelling case against Bush, Cheney et al. for this and other false flag attacks against our country.
Peace, A67
August 6, 2008 9:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Real Story is if the FBI had him under such tight controls and surveillance they then actually WATCHED Him kill himself and did nothing to stop it. Why is that ? Who called this a suicide in the first place and can we get a second opinion ?
August 6, 2008 10:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Damn YpyC7t5n!
That's one of the most concise and compelling statements that i have yet read in this sickening and sordid anthrax cover-up charade.
Especially liked "Their claims about Ivin's[sic] add more circumstantial evidence to the compelling case against Bush, Cheney et al."
(appreciate the fact that you can see beyond the ever-growing mountains of BS being thrown at us by the industrial media gov'ment thing)
August 6, 2008 10:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
The real reason why they are pinning it on Ivins is the fact that the hijackers (and their accomplices here in the states) are the real anthrax culprits. If the FBI admitted this fact, they would be admitting that there were others here in the country aiding the hijackers...and that they've never been caught or identified.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E2DF173BF930A15750C0A9649C8B63
August 6, 2008 10:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Has the government not heard of security?
The government has less protection on a flask of anthrax (RMR-1029) than a Brinks armoured car with a few hundred thousand. No way Brinks would ever allow a single person to control the money under their protection.
How is it possible that a weapon so deadly that it is banned under international law can be slipped out of a lab without a trace? At best there is a case for criminal neglect and at worst a partner in crime. Is there no interest in finding out how the anthrax could have been removed from RMR-1029 then smuggled out of the building? It is also my understanding that the contents of RMR-1029 is not weapons grade. How did it get weaponized and by whom?
Closing the case and revealing the Grand Jury evidence means that the evidence cannot be used should somebody start asking the hard questions later on. It smells like this was dumped now to prevent the next administration from conducting a criminal investigation. The Department of Justice is still as broken today as when Gonzales was AG.
August 6, 2008 11:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
CBS had huge coverage on the case to encourage people to believe the case is solved. When you see this sort of action from major MSM you know Bush and company are definitely guilty and are trying desperately to kill the subject.
August 7, 2008 12:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
"the science that focused their attention laser-like on that flask."
They blinded me with science...
August 7, 2008 12:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
07-527-M-01 search warrant affidavit.pdf, page 6, paragraph above "Tape, Ink and Fiber Trace Evidence" states:
Sixteen other labs had/have RMR-1029.
Eight samples showed the same genetic changes as in the attack samples. (p 4) Y200???
Ivins' samples were negative until the FBI physically went into the BSL3 lab, collected additional samples from Ivins and just so happens decided to take the entire flask of 1029. (p 10) Y2004
Now remember that up to this point the only samples that the FBI knew were positive for the genetic changes were 8 of the 1000 samples taken from labs across the US and world. It is peculiar that they don't say which labs these were. Y2005
So up until the point when they entered the BSL3, Ivins' samples were negative. The "additional" samples were "negative", but lo and behold the only sample from him that a year later turned up positive was from the vial the FBI physically removed from the BSL3.
Read up on the B. subtilis contaminant if you want your head to spin off in a swirl of tortured "logic".
August 7, 2008 3:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, they want to tie up loose ends that the next administration will not be dumped with, PLUS it allows Bush to claim that the investigation concluded on his watch.
But of course when desperation acts like this become apparent where they are clearly grasping at straws to pin it on the 'lone scientist' angle, and it was so conveniently leaked first to Faux News since it would provide them initial cover and remove risk of asking tough questions on its accuracy by a real news agency that threw up the instant red flag. Let the story be broken in their narrative so it can be comfortably absorbed and settle in people's minds, and just prior to Olympic and nonstop campaign coverage, maybe the rest of the MSM will fall in lockstep. Problem was, the story WAS questioned in the MSM. Gambit failed.
August 7, 2008 6:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lot of unanswered questions about Jean C. Duley, Dr. Allen L. Levy, her boss, and Dr. David S. Irwin unanswered.
I doubt very much the FBI stood by silently while a Ivins, anthrax murderer, attended individual and group therapy sessions at Dr. Levy's office.
Even the other tenants in the office building where Levy operates is strange. Visit jeanbrennan.net and then try whois.
More to come.
August 7, 2008 8:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wasn't it just a couple weeks ago where blogs started asking "hey, what DID happen with the anthrax investigation?" Then, a few days later the case is wrapped up with a convenient suicide. Nothing to see here...move along.
August 7, 2008 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink