Ivins’ Colleague Says He Was Murdered

If Ivins didn’t kill himself, that can only mean that he was murdered.

Early anthrax suspect doubts guilt of Ivins
Originally published September 07, 2008

By Nicholas C. Stern
News-Post Staff

Ayaad Assaad was in Australia visiting relatives the day before his former colleague and friend, Bruce Ivins, died from an apparent suicide in Frederick in July.

Ivins, a Fort Detrick anthrax specialist, had become the sole focus of a seven-year FBI investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five and injured 17. The FBI has since released evidence it claims proves Ivins' guilt, but has admitted much of it is circumstantial.

Assaad, who worked in a U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease lab at Fort Detrick from 1989 to 1997 developing a vaccine for ricin, said in an interview Saturday he does not believe Ivins was guilty.

"He's a great man. He's honorable, sincere, honest and most important, he didn't kill five people and he didn't kill himself," Assaad said.

more at:
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=79878

are not getting the attention they should due to the election. Not that the election is not important, but it just bothers me to think what Cheney & Co. are doing these days.

When did we become that which we used to despise?

KnR

Hekate

and while she thinks there were others that might have been more likely to be candidates (what I found out about some of the personalities there was umm. interesting to say the least), she does believe he suicided. So I *have* as much credibility as this guy on the story.
In fact, while many there don't think Ivins committed the murders, many DO believe after seeing the way Hatfill was treated that he would have killed himself.
But what the hell, I'm not a reporter or professional blogger, I'm only a biologist with strong personal ties to both Detrick and the anthrax vaccine people/program so I have no credibility.
Tin hat theories are soooo much more interesting than real life.

This person has given MULTIPLE interviews about Ivins, but I do not want to drag their name out because the FBI actually threatened to do that if cooperation wasn't given.
I'm betting no one will actually pay attention to this post though. Its much easier to scream MURDER based on ones preformed opinions

I do think a lot of us feel that it is weird that there was no autopsy. Still, if I had to guess, yes, I would think his family would have demanded an autopsy if they felt he was murdered.

The case against him for sending the Anthrax out doesn't seem based on logic, more on wishful thinking. Personally, I feel that the investigation destroyed him.

... is that still suicide?

I guess technically it is. So I think there's more common ground on this topic than we realize.

People drove Ivins to the point of suicide. Would a more stable person have been able to withstand the strain? Perhaps. But I think it's fair to say that if others didn't deliberately and skillfully make his life miserable that Ivins would be alive today. Those folks knew what they were doing. They found a weakness and exploited it.

He stopped short of that and imho, we should respect that difference.

Still does.

little strange as there is so much 'I' in your message - kind of defensive or defeatist.

has been harassed, pressured, gagged and in general, made defensive. There's no other rational stance, really.

I don't know turtlensue. But that's what I've found when trying to decipher what is going on in that group of people. They have been under siege. Gagged WHILE the FBI mounted a massive smear of Ivins in the press. And, there is fallout for them, too, if that facility is tagged as being "insecure" based on the FBI "case".

Especially if you feel that your family is in danger if you continue to live.

It was also written that Irvins fell off the wagon hard. It would not be hard to slip other mind altering chemicals into an already inebriated man helping drive him to suicide. Could explain the symptoms he was experiencing.

Since there was no autopsy we will never know (unless some papers get declassified sometime in the future or someone writes a book) and there is nothing wrong with considering it as a possibility.

Since you are an acquaintance of an acquaintance that is enough to get you disappeared or hounded yourself in this country under the post 911 rules and you might want to know what you are up against just in case.

It cannot happen here is how we got into this mess.

Wishing you and yours the best.

Dr. Aassad didn't say Bruce Ivins was murdered. He said he didn't kill himself. And I agree with that. I believe Dr. Ivins was driven to suicide which may be Dr. Aassad's point.

The community at Ft. Detrick has been under a lot of pressure. I'm grateful that some of them are finding safe ways to weigh in. :)

:)

I really don't care if this is kicked or rec'd or not. It's just remarkable that the FBI's ace would say such a thing. :wow:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3976465&mesg_id=3976465