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FBI admits it has no clues on anthrax source
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation admitted that it had no clues on who was behind the scary bioterror attack that has left four people dead, more than a dozen infected and the public in a state of near-panic.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation admitted that it had no clues on who was behind the scary bioterror attack that has left four people dead, more than a dozen infected and the public in a state of near-panic.
The admission, coming from FBI Deputy Assistant Director James Caruso at a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism and Government Information, has triggered a firestorm among lawmakers, some of whom had to evacuate their offices after anthrax spores were detected on Capitol Hill.
"The bottom line is this: as of now you don't know where the anthrax came from, and you have not been able to identify all the people who may have access to it. Is that fair?" asked Democratic Senator John Edwards. "That's correct," Caruso replied.
Senator Dianne Feinstein's question on how many research facilities worked with anthrax bacteria in the United States also left the head of the FBI's counterterrorism division at a loss. "We do not know that at this time," Caruso acknowledged.
"Could you possibly tell me why you do not know that?" the California Democrat pressed on.
"The research capabilities of thousands of researchers is something that we are just continuing to run down," Caruso said. "I know it's an unsatisfactory answer and unsatisfying to us as well."
The admission, coming from FBI Deputy Assistant Director James Caruso at a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism and Government Information, has triggered a firestorm among lawmakers, some of whom had to evacuate their offices after anthrax spores were detected on Capitol Hill.
"The bottom line is this: as of now you don't know where the anthrax came from, and you have not been able to identify all the people who may have access to it. Is that fair?" asked Democratic Senator John Edwards. "That's correct," Caruso replied.
Senator Dianne Feinstein's question on how many research facilities worked with anthrax bacteria in the United States also left the head of the FBI's counterterrorism division at a loss. "We do not know that at this time," Caruso acknowledged.
"Could you possibly tell me why you do not know that?" the California Democrat pressed on.
"The research capabilities of thousands of researchers is something that we are just continuing to run down," Caruso said. "I know it's an unsatisfactory answer and unsatisfying to us as well."
FBI investigators have been working on more than 1,000 leads, including about 100 directing them overseas, in their probe of mailings containing anthrax spores that have been sent to prominent members of the media and the US Congress, according to bureau director Robert Mueller.
The anthrax outbreak, presumably triggered by the bacteria-laced letters, has resulted in 17 confirmed cases of the disease and five suspected infections, according to the latest account by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bureau Report