[CPEO-MEF] BIOWEAPONS: Ft. Detrick "safety"

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Anthrax scientist Bruce Ivins slipped under the radar because of FBI 
obsession
Records show agents overlooked a series of early clues pointing to Ivins 
as the source of the 2001 deadly anthrax mailings and that the 
investigation remained locked on a former Army researcher.

By David Willman
Los Angeles Times
August 15, 2008

WASHINGTON - As federal authorities pursued the wrong suspect in the 
deadly anthrax mailings of 2001, they ignored or overlooked a series of 
early clues that pointed to Army scientist Bruce E. Ivins, a review of 
investigative records by the Los Angeles Times shows.

Law enforcement documents unsealed by a federal judge last week, along 
with other materials reviewed by The Times, show that within a few 
months of the mailings, FBI leaders were positioned to know important 
details spotlighting Ivins, who killed himself last month and has now 
been identified as the government's prime suspect.

...

The discovery of anthrax spores outside restricted areas at Ft. Detrick 
prompted an Army investigation, ending with a 361-page report in May 
2002 that described Ivins' earlier, undisclosed cleanup efforts. In 
sworn statements to the Army, Ivins suggested that a sloppy lab 
technician may have spread anthrax from a hot suite to other work 
spaces, including Ivins'.

An Army officer who had firsthand knowledge of the events told The Times 
last week that Ivins' sworn statements and all other investigative 
details gathered for the report were available at that time to the FBI.

Army officials had regarded the anthrax contamination at Ft. Detrick as 
accidental and non-life-threatening. They called for improvements in 
safety and lab practices but recommended no discipline against Ivins or 
anyone else.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-anthrax15-2008aug15,0,663654,full.story
--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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