It is still not known, officially and by adjudication in a court of law, who sent the post-9/11 anthrax letters because the FBI completely mishandled the case. They ended up paying $6 million in damages to an American scientist, Steven Hatfill, who was falsely termed a "person of interest" and hounded by federal agents. The FBI later argued that another U.S. Government scientist, Bruce Ivins, was the lone culprit, and "closed" the case. But Ivins was also hounded by federal agents, and took his own life. His attorney, Paul Kemp, has strongly argued that the FBI falsely blamed Ivins and never proved its case against him. No charges were filed in what the FBI called the "Amerithrax" case.
In fact, the evidence suggests the letters were linked to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the al-Qaeda operatives behind them.
As we reported at the time, "Al Qaeda was interested in anthrax as a weapon, had labs designed to make it, and reportedly had purchased it. CNN has al-Qaeda videotapes showing their access to chemical and biological agents. CNN also reported that an al-Qaeda terrorism manual includes instructions on how to send a ‘poisonous letter.'"
President Bush later talked publicly about al Qaeda's interest in anthrax, even referring to an al-Qaeda cell that was "developing anthrax for attacks against the United States."
In addition to this evidence, the envelopes themselves carrying the anthrax letters said, "Take Penacilin (sic) Now. Death to America. Death to Israel. Allah is great."
As far back as August 2002, we noted, "The anthrax letters praised Allah, and [lead 9/11 hijacker] Atta was spotted a few days before the assault in a Palm Beach, Florida, pharmacy getting medication for his hands, which had become red and swollen. Another hijacker, Ahmed Alhaznawi, who lived and trained as a pilot in Florida where the anthrax attacks began, went to the Holy Cross hospital in Fort Lauderdale complaining of a nasty leg lesion that could have been caused by anthrax. Yet FBI officials have dismissed this evidence."
The FBI claimed the writing was a diversion and a distraction, and refused to seriously investigate an al-Qaeda link to the letters. They had figured the perpetrators were domestic right-wing extremists, perhaps with military or scientific backgrounds. Hence, their focus on Hatfill and Ivins.
We wrote over the years of the evidence that another al-Qaeda cell staged the post-9/11 anthrax attacks, but that because the FBI went on a media-generated wild goose chase, the case was never solved. We said, "The real perpetrators either fled the country, were deported for immigration law violations, or are still here."
All of this is important to remember because of the questions that are now emerging surrounding the FBI's handling of the Boston bombing case. The FBI has taken charge of the investigation, which opens the door to political pressure from the Obama Administration.
The facts clearly show that an al-Qaeda magazine had recommended the use of the same kind of bomb used in the Boston massacre. Again, CNN had reported this evidence back in 2010, noting that an article, "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom," recommended, "The pressurized cooker should be placed in crowded areas and left to blow up. More than one of these could be planted to explode at the same time. However, keep in mind that the range of the shrapnel in this operation is short range so the pressurized cooker or pipe should be placed close to the intended targets and should not be concealed from them by barriers such as walls."
No comments:
Post a Comment