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October 6, 2008 7:25:36 PM CDT

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Stories related to: biological weapons

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15 Stories

  • August 2008

    • FBI Missed Anthrax Clues

      Los Angeles Times  |  Aug 15, 08 9:29 AM CDT

      FBI Missed Anthrax Clues

      (Newser) - The FBI's obsessive focus on the wrong anthrax suspect caused the agency to miss some important clues pointing to Bruce Ivins, the Los Angeles Times reports. Records of key-card swipes show that Ivins, who killed himself last month before being charged, spent hours in a "hot suite" with access to anthrax late at night before the 2001 anthrax mailing. More »

      Tags

      FBI  • investigation  • national security  • anthrax  • Bruce Ivins  • biological weapons  • Steven Hatfill

    • Anthrax Security Gap: 'Worse Than McDonald's'

      Washington Post  |  Aug 8, 08 9:45 AM CDT

      Anthrax Security Gap: 'Worse Than McDonald's'

      (Newser) - The case of anthrax suspect Bruce Ivins has raised fears about security protecting Americans from the world's deadliest germs, the Washington Post reports. The scientist thought to be behind the deadly 2001 attacks had serious mental health problems and expressed homicidal thoughts to his frightened therapist—but his supervisors at an Army lab were never informed. Lawmakers are demanding security be tightened. More »

      Tags

      national security  • anthrax  • Bruce Ivins  • biological weapons  • biodefense

    • Emails Reveal Anthrax Scientist's Delusions

      New York Times  |  Aug 7, 08 2:25 AM CDT

      Emails Reveal Anthrax Scientist's Delusions

      (Newser) - Dozens of emails released by the FBI reveal that scientist Bruce Ivins was losing his grip on reality long before the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, the New York Times reports.  The Army scientist and anthrax suspect, who committed suicide last month, wrote to a colleague in 2000 that he was having "incredible paranoid, delusional thoughts" and was being "eaten alive inside." More »

      Tags

      FBI  • anthrax  • Bruce Ivins  • biological weapons  • domestic terrorism  • psychiatric disorders

    • Ivins Had Anthrax 'Identical' to '01 Attack

      Associated Press  |  Aug 6, 08 2:17 PM CDT

      Ivins Had Anthrax 'Identical' to '01 Attack

      (AP) - Army scientist Bruce Ivins is the sole person responsible for the 2001 anthrax attacks, and he had custody of highly purified anthrax spores with "certain genetic mutations identical" to the poison that killed five people, the Justice Department says. Ivins was unable to give investigators "an adequate explanation for his late laboratory work hours around the time of" the attacks, and he apparently sought to mislead investigators, according to an affidavit. More »

      Tags

      United States  • FBI  • investigation  • anthrax  • Bruce Ivins  • biological weapons  • domestic terrorism

    • As Families See Evidence, FBI Set to End Anthrax Probe

      Associated Press  |  Aug 6, 08 12:43 PM CDT

      As Families See Evidence, FBI Set to End Anthrax Probe

      (Newser) - The FBI began releasing details of its investigation into the 2001 anthrax mail attacks to families of the victims today, the AP reports, with information to be made public within hours on judge’s orders. The agency is ready to end its probe, with sources telling the Wall Street Journal spores found on a laboratory flask link the fatal attacks to Bruce Ivins, the researcher who committed suicide last week. More »

      Tags

      FBI  • War on Terror  • anthrax  • Bruce Ivins  • biological weapons  • federal courts  • domestic terrorism

    • Anthrax Expert Could Have Cashed In on Panic

      Los Angeles Times  |  Aug 2, 08 8:38 AM CDT

      Anthrax Expert Could Have Cashed In on Panic

      (Newser) - Bruce Ivins, the government scientist linked to the deadly 2001 anthrax mailings who committed suicide this week, stood to profit from a panic set off by the killings, the Los Angeles Times reports. Ivins, who was close to being charged by the FBI when he killed himself, was listed as a co-inventor on two patents for a vaccine that could have earned him tens of thousands in royalties as the government stockpiled vaccines. More »

      Tags

      vaccine  • anthrax  • Bruce Ivins  • biological weapons  • motive

    • Feds Were Closing In on Anthrax Expert

      Associated Press  |  Aug 1, 08 10:15 AM CDT

      Feds Were Closing In on Anthrax Expert

      (Newser) - If Army microbiologist Bruce Ivins hadn’t killed himself, he might have been executed. Federal prosecutors were on the verge of indicting Ivins in the 2001 anthrax mail attacks that killed five people, and they would have sought the death penalty, the AP reports. One official says an ongoing grand jury was closing in on the 62-year-old Maryland man, who spent more than a decade working on an anthrax vaccine. More »

      Tags

      FBI  • suicide  • anthrax  • Bruce Ivins  • biological weapons  • scientist

    • Anthrax Case Scientist Commits Suicide

      Los Angeles Times  |  Aug 1, 08 4:41 AM CDT

      Anthrax Case Scientist Commits Suicide

      (Newser) - A government scientist in Maryland about to be charged in the 2001 anthrax attacks has apparently committed suicide, the Los Angeles Times reports. Microbiologist Bruce Ivins was questioned after the attacks for failing to report anthrax contamination at his workplace, but the investigation soon switched focus. Colleagues say Ivins became anxious after the authorities paid a settlement in June to another government scientist who had earlier been named as a prime suspect in the attacks that killed five people. More »

      Tags

      FBI  • suicide  • anthrax  • biological weapons  • scientist  • Steven Hatfill

  • May 2008

    • Scientists Close In on Antidote to Neurotoxin

      BBC  |  May 12, 08 6:11 PM CDT

      Scientists Close In on Antidote to Neurotoxin

      (Newser) - Scientists are one step closer to developing an antidote to botulinum, a potentially devastating biological weapon, the BBC reports. Terrorists have tried, so far unsuccessfully, to deploy the neurotoxin, which is also the culprit in botulism and the secret behind Botox. A botulinum vaccine already exists, but the new drug could eventually be used after exposure. More »

      Tags

      terrorism  • biological weapons  • Botox  • scientific breakthroughs

  • April 2008
  • March 2008

    • Man Says He Had Ricin for Self-Defense

      Associated Press  |  Mar 18, 08 7:35 AM CDT

      Man Says He Had Ricin for Self-Defense

      (Newser) - The Las Vegas man hospitalized by exposure to ricin in his hotel room told his brother he  did not intend to hurt anyone with it, the AP reports. Roger Bergendoff, who regained consciousness last week after a month, admitted possessing the biological agent but said it was for self-defense. "He just confirmed that it was not intended for anybody," said his brother. "It was something that would be used for his own purposes." More »

      Tags

      FBI  • Las Vegas  • Nevada  • biological weapons  • suspected terrorists  • toxin  • ricin  • Roger Bergendorff  • Poison

    • Man in Ricin Case Wakes Up

      Associated Press  |  Mar 14, 08 5:45 PM CDT

      Man in Ricin Case Wakes Up

      (Newser) - The man at the center of the Las Vegas ricin investigation regained consciousness today, although he remains hospitalized in critical condition, the Associated Press reports. Roger Bergendorff, 57, had been in a coma since Feb. 14; he has already been questioned by FBI agents about the toxin—considered a "biological weapon"—found in his hotel room. More »

      Tags

      terrorism  • FBI  • Las Vegas  • Nevada  • poison  • biological weapons  • toxin  • ricin  • Roger Bergendorff  • biological warfare

  • February 2008

    • Man in Critical Condition After Stay in Ricin Room

      CNN  |  Feb 29, 08 3:05 PM CST

      Man in Critical Condition After Stay in Ricin Room

      (Newser) - A man who stayed in a Las Vegas hotel room where ricin was found yesterday has been hospitalized for 2 weeks after exposure to the toxin and is in critical condition, CNN reports. A friend retrieving his belongings discovered the ricin. "We don't know who it belongs to or why it would be here at this time," said a police captain. More »

      Tags

      Las Vegas  • poison  • biological weapons  • toxin  • ricin

    • 'Terror Toxin' Found in Vegas

      CNN  |  Feb 29, 08 6:58 AM CST

      'Terror Toxin' Found in Vegas

      (Newser) - Las Vegas police have discovered the deadly toxin ricin at a long-stay hotel, CNN reports. It's "100% ricin," said a police official. "We did have enough ricin to be concerned. At this point, it has been contained and is not a threat to anybody." Three policemen, three hotel workers, and another person are in a local hospital under observation for signs of ricin poisoning. So far, they're fine. More »

      Tags

      Las Vegas  • biological weapons  • toxin  • extremists  • ricin

  • January 2008

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