My First Column for the UK's Guardian: On the Bizarre Case of the Supposed 'Anthrax Killer' Bruce

Ivins

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/11/anthrax.usa

'Anthrax killer' remains a mystery
The FBI's accusations against dead scientist Bruce Ivins are full of holes. The case may be closed but it isn't solved
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* Brad Friedman
*
o Brad Friedman
o guardian.co.uk,
o Monday August 11 2008 14:00 BST
o Article history

Case closed. The FBI has found the "Anthrax Killer" – and he acted alone. And now that he's committed suicide, just at the moment the Feds were about to finally snare the diabolical menace who arguably brought utter chaos in days following the September 11 attacks when he'd sent deadly letters to Democratic officials and members of the media, his guilt couldn't be clearer.

Then again, you may have also believed that whole "Mission Accomplished" thing.

The case against Dr Bruce Ivins – the widely-respected bio-terror researcher at the US army's medical research institute of infectious disease in Fort Detrick, Maryland – was revealed by the FBI in a press conference, following his reported suicide the previous week, several ensuing days of bad reporting, laughable evidence-free leaks from anonymous government officials to media outlets happy to repeat them, growing scepticism from experts in the field of bio-terror research, colleagues of Ivins' and anybody who bothered to pay close attention beyond the misleading headlines.

What a shame the US press won't run stuff like that.