Anthrax mailings reviewed

The investigation, one of the longest and most expensive in FBI history, was launched over nine years ago when letters containing deadly anthrax spores were sent from a mailbox at 10 Nassau St. to several media outlets and two offices at the U.S. Senate. The investigation was formally concluded in 2010.

The FBI initially incriminated Bruce Ivins, an Army microbiologist, for producing the deadly powder that ultimately killed five and infected 17 others. Ivins committed suicide in 2008, before charges could formally be brought against him.

The NAS review found, however, that “no scientific basis” was used to determine how long it would have taken the perpetrator to prepare the amount of anthrax used in the attacks.

Several of the microbiologists that worked with Ivins at the laboratory in Maryland at Fort Detrick claimed it would have been impossible for him to grow as many as 10 trillion spores without their noticing or becoming infected.

While the panel of NAS experts admitted that there is evidence linking the responsible spores to a sample from Ivins’ lab, it also claims that FBI data did not “rule out other sources” for the spores.

FBI and Justice Department officials said in a press release that the NAS considered only the scientific aspects of the case and did not take into account the other “traditional” detective work that led to Ivins’ accusation.

“Although there have been great strides in forensic science over the years, rarely does science alone solve an investigation,” the release said.

The statement also emphasized the complexity of the case. Because the mailing of the letters occurred very soon after the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks, it initially sparked fears of bioterrorism. The release also highlighted some of the positive comments made by the NAS, such as its recognition of the “innovative and groundbreaking” nature of the forensic techniques developed during the investigation.

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However, according to the review, the NAS believes that Bureau investigators did not take advantage of new advancements in forensic technology that were developed between 2001 and 2008, when it first named Ivins responsible.

In recent years, Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., the former assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the FBI’s conclusion, saying last year that the Bureau had “barely a circumstantial case.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, Holt echoed his previous remarks, explaining that “the NAS report makes clear there are still questions to be answered and lessons still to be learned about the FBI’s investigation into the attacks.”

Henry Heine, one of Ivins’ former colleagues, had a similar reaction to the NAS review.

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“I think that it does somewhat vindicate Dr. Ivins and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases,” he said.

Now a senior scientist at the Ordway Research Institute in Albany, N.Y., Heine was one of the civilian researchers working alongside Ivins at USAMRIID in Fort Detrick.

“Many of the questions that we raised even before Dr. Ivins’ death, I think, the NAS report pointed out very clearly,” said Heine.

Holt has reintroduced a bill he first drafted in 2008 that would establish a “high level” bipartisan congressional commission, similar to the 9/11 Commission, that would investigate the federal government’s response to the 2001 mailings.

“It would help American families know that the government is prepared to protect them and their children from future bioterrorism attacks,” Holt said.

The FBI’s report offers an explanation for why Ivins reportedly drove over three hours to mail the infected letters from Princeton.

It noted that his father graduated from the University and that he was obsessed with the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, having visited Kappa chapter houses at other schools.

Kappa leadership at the University declined to comment for this article.

The Academy panel that conducted the review had access to 9,600 pages of FBI documents to produce their 170-page report. While the report questions the FBI’s proceedings, it does not contain a definitive judgment on the question of Ivins’ guilt.

“I do believe that whoever did this is still out there on the loose,” said Heine. “As much as it’s been a pain for my life, I hope that the FBI reopens the investigation.”

The FBI did not respond to requests for comment.