FBI's Anthrax Probe Closes Some Army Labs
NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
FREDERICK, Md. FBI agents Tuesday combed laboratory suites at
Fort Detrick, home to the Army's biological warfare defense
program, and a source said they were again looking for
evidence in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
The labs at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of
Infectious Diseases have been closed since Friday, Fort Detrick
spokesman Charles Dasey said.
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A law-enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity,
told The Associated Press the activity was related to the anthrax
mailings that killed five people and sickened 17 in autumn 2001.
FBI agents have frequently visited Fort Detrick since the
unsolved attacks, amid speculation that the deadly spores or the
person who sent them might be connected to Fort Detrick.
Dasey said he didn't know which labs were involved, what sort of
research had been conducted there or how long they would be closed.
Debra Weierman, spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington field
office, said the lab probe was part of "an ongoing criminal
investigation." She said could not discuss details of the
activity.
Much of the speculation about a Fort Detrick connection has
centered on Dr. Stephen J. Hatfill, a former government scientist
and bioweapons expert who once worked at the infectious disease
institute at Fort Detrick. The FBI has labeled Hatfill a "person
of interest" in the case.
Hatfill has denied any role in the attacks. He has filed a
lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington contending the
government invaded his privacy and ruined his reputation by leaking
information to the media implicating him in the attacks. His
lawsuit seeks to clear his name and recover unspecified monetary
damages.
His lawyer, Victor M. Glasberg, had no comment Tuesday.
© 2004 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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