Anthrax Suspect's Sorority Obsession

Officials: Suspect Fixated On Sorority Near N.J. Mailbox Where Toxin-Laced Letters Were Sent

(CBS/ AP)  The top suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks was obsessed with a sorority that sat less than 100 yards away from a New Jersey mailbox where the toxin-laced letters were sent, authorities said Monday.

Multiple U.S. officials told The Associated Press that former Army scientist Bruce Ivins was long obsessed with the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, going back as far as his own college days at the University of Cincinnati.

The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

The bizarre link to the sorority may indirectly explain one of the biggest mysteries in the case: why the anthrax was mailed from Princeton, N.J., 195 miles from the Army biological weapons lab the anthrax is believed to have been smuggled out of.

An adviser to the Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter at Princeton University confirmed she was interviewed by the FBI in connection with the case.

U.S. officials said e-mails or other documents detail Ivins' long-standing fixation on the sorority. His former therapist has said Ivins plotted revenge against those who have slighted him, particularly women. There is nothing to indicate, however, he was focused on any one sorority member or other Princeton student, the officials said.

Despite the connection between Ivins and the sorority, authorities acknowledge they cannot place the scientist in Princeton the day the anthrax was mailed. That remains a hole in the government's case. Had Ivins not killed himself last week, authorities would have argued he could have made the seven-hour round trip to Princeton after work.

Investigators know the pre-stamped envelopes, which delivered the deadly powder, were purchased at a Frederick, Md. post office near Ivins home - but it's unclear if investigators can connect Ivins to the envelopes, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.

Ivins' attorney, Paul F. Kemp, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday but has asserted his client's innocence and said he would have been vindicated in court.

Katherine Breckinridge Graham, a Kappa alumna who serves as an adviser to the sorority's Princeton chapter, said Monday she was interviewed by FBI agents "over the last couple of years" about the case. She said she could not provide any details about the interview because she signed an FBI nondisclosure form.

However, Graham said there was nothing to indicate that any of the sorority members had anything to do with Ivins.

"Nothing odd went on," said Graham, an attorney.

Kappa Kappa Gamma executive director Lauren Paitson, reached at the sorority's headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, initially told an AP reporter Monday afternoon she would provide a comment shortly. She did not answer subsequent phone messages or e-mails seeking a response.

Some of the scientist's friends and former co-workers have reacted with skepticism as details about the investigation surfaced. They questioned whether Ivins had the motive to unleash such an attack and whether he could have secretly created the powder form of the deadly toxin without co-workers noticing.

Beginning with cell samples of the anthrax that was mailed in 2001, investigators used advanced DNA fingerprinting techniques to identify unique sections of genetic code that led them to Ivins, according to a government scientist.

Princeton University referred questions about Ivins to the FBI. The university does not formally recognize sororities and fraternities but chapters operate off campus.

Local police in both Princeton Borough and Princeton Township said Ivins' name did not turn up on any incident reports or restraining orders.

Kappa Kappa Gamma also has chapters at nearby colleges in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington. One official said investigators were working off the theory that Ivins chose to mail the letters from the Princeton chapter to confuse investigators if he ever were to emerge as a suspect in the case.

Five people died and 17 others sickened by the anthrax plot, which was launched on the heels of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The following August, investigators announced they'd found anthrax spores inside the mailbox on Nassau Street, the town's main thoroughfare. FBI agents immediately began canvassing the town, showing residents a photograph of Army scientist Steven J. Hatfill, who at the time was a key "person of interest" in the case.

That theory fell flat and this June, the Justice Department exonerated Hatfill and agreed to a $5.8 million settlement with him.

In the past year, the FBI has turned a close eye on Ivins, whom a therapist said had a history of homicidal and sociopathic behavior. Prosecutors had planned to indict Ivins and seek the death penalty but, knowing investigators were closing in, he killed himself with an overdose of acetaminophen, the key ingredient in Tylenol.

With its top suspect now dead, the Justice Department is considering closing the "Amerithrax" investigations. It has been among the FBI's most publicized unsolved cases and, if it is closed, authorities are expected to unseal court documents that outline much of their case against Ivins.

[bluegill557]

Did it ever occur to anyone that since there wasn''t a big uproar over finally finding the right man, that this sorority mailbox is just something added by one reporter to get headlines?? Notice that the sources for the information are not mentioned. Sure they wish to remain anonymous. If I were fabricating a story, all my sources would be anonymous.

[billorights]

mtracy9 - You may have wrapped your aluminum foil helmet a bit too tightly.

[mtracy9]

The anthrax attacks of October 2001 were obviously carried out by a neocon Black Op team in concert with the team that took down the WTC. The attacks were aimed at two Democratic Senators: Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy who were holding up the "Patriot Act" out of constitutional concerns. Just as bioweapons researcher Bruce Ivins was about to be charged with perpetrating the attacks, he commits suicide. His convenient death prevents any future investigation into the masterminds of the attacks.

[billorights]

The only "Doors" that seem to be open are the ones leading to the Propaganda Wing of the Neocon Nazi Party of Criminals and Terrorists....LMMFAO - Posted by vnveteran72 at 07:12 PM : Aug 04, 2008

Neocon %u2013 a meaningless utterance most often associated with mindless ranting by disaffected socialists, usually in context of deflecting blame for their own failed socioeconomic policies.

Try not to hurt yourself while you LYFAO, and please close the door on your way out.

[txgrouch2006]

I heard that his "therapist" was a drug councilor with a sketchy past. An abusive ex-husband, a history of drug addiction. ... women with an abuse history are more likely to perceive a man''''s comments as threatening.
Posted by kofiananimus at 12:31 PM : Aug 05, 2008

So are you saying she was HAND PICKED to be Ivin''s "counselor" ...?

[kofiananimus]

I''ve heard rumors that Bruce Ivans was a registered Democrat. Why would he send anthrax to only Democratic government officials? Would CBS News care to investigate and address?
I heard that his "therapist" was a drug councilor with a sketchy past. An abusive ex-husband, a history of drug addiction. Would CBS News care to mention this when they talk about comments and actions made by the "therapist"? Not to smear her, but because women with an abuse history are more likely to perceive a man''s comments as threatening.

[bobnjersey]

[Todays NeoLibs, infested with ADD, ADHD, AHDDD, and HADAD, very hard to grasp concept which takes more than two sentences to explain. PERHAPS if a real good Democrapt Health-Care plan was put into place that would supply free medications to all those afflicted, then they could read things and understand them better.]
[Posted by DaVicar2 at 11:03 AM : Aug 05, 2008]

yea maybe. that''s nothing compared to the condition all current bush supporters likely suffer from ... what some would characterize as a personality disorder ... those that suffer from it would just discount it (that''s a symptom of the condition). those w/ the condition are known as authoritarian followers and it''s best characterized by an irrational world view, faulty reasoning, contradiction of belief, and tacit acceptance of anything coming from your ''auth leader''.

there are many more characterizations that describe those w/ the condition ... you''d likely recognize them all.

[talkingham]

Lying Neocons. We, the Brits and the Germans all used mustard gas in WW1. We used the biggest terror weapon of all time, the nuke bomb against civilians in Japan, our cruise missiles are obviously weapons of mass destruction and terror and we use them all the time against less weaponized nations, while Saddam used a small amount of stuff he got from the Russians and us.

[mtracy9]

The anthrax attacks of October 2001 were obviously carried out by a neocon Black Op team in concert with the team that took down the WTC. The attacks were aimed at two Democratic Senators: Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy who were holding up the "Patriot Act" out of constitutional concerns. Just as bioweapons researcher Bruce Ivins was about to be charged with perpetrating the attacks, he commits suicide. His convenient death prevents any future investigation into the masterminds of the attacks.

[txgrouch2006]

PERHAPS if a real good Democrapt Health-Care plan was put into place that would supply free medications to all those afflicted, then they could read things and understand them better.
Posted by DaVicar2 at 11:03 AM : Aug 05, 2008

Maybe there would be fewer decapitations.

[txgrouch2006]

crickets chirping

What, are you libtards slow readers?

NOTHING TO SAY???

[txgrouch2006]

%u201CSaddam Hussein is a tyrant who has tortured and killed his own people, even his own family members, to maintain his iron grip on power. He used chemical weapons on Iraqi Kurds and on Iranians, killing over 20 thousand people. Unfortunately, during the 1980''s, while he engaged in such horrific activity, he enjoyed the support of the American government, because he had oil and was seen as a counterweight to the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran.
%u201CIn 1991, Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied Kuwait, losing the support of the United States. The first President Bush assembled a global coalition, including many Arab states, and threw Saddam out after forty-three days of bombing and a hundred hours of ground operations. The U.S.-led coalition then withdrew, leaving the Kurds and the Shiites, who had risen against Saddam Hussein at our urging, to Saddam''s revenge. "

Hillary Clinton%u2019s Senate floor speech
October 10, 2002

http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

[txgrouch2006]

%u201CIn 1998, the United States also changed its underlying policy toward Iraq from containment to regime change and began to examine options to effect such a change, including support for Iraqi opposition leaders within the country and abroad.
%u201CIn the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001.
%u201CIt is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security.
%u201CNow this much is undisputed%u2026%u201D
Hillary Clinton%u2019s Senate floor speech
October 10, 2002

http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

[txgrouch2006]

On January 26, 1998 in a letter to the President the PNAC asked Clinton to invade Iraq and get rid of Saddam Hussein. Clinton refused their request........
Posted by samsel3 at 09:55 AM : Aug 05, 2008
-----------------------------------

"Other countries possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. With Saddam, there is one big difference: He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly. Unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops during a decade-long war. Not only against soldiers, but against civilians, firing Scud missiles at the citizens of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran. And not only against a foreign enemy, but even against his own people, gassing Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq.

The international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again. "

Speech from the Oval Office by President William Clinton, explaining his attack on Iraq
reported by The Associated Press
Wednesday, December 16, 1998

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/clintontext121698.htm

BTW, Bill Clinton was impeached on December 19, 1998.

WHAT A COINCIDENCE!!!

[samsel3]

In an interview with Merideth Viera on NBC this morning August 4, 2008, bureau chief Dr. Russell Byrne of the Fort Detrick lab, and boss of Dr. Ivins said:

" I don''t beleive anything the Government is saying about Bruce Ivins".

The most important statement of the NBC interview and
CBS does not report it.

The answer to the Anthrax mystery lies with Bush, Cheney and the CIA strategists who wanted to drum up support for the invasion and regime change of seven countries. Putting the American people in fear of terrorism for their dirty game on the world stage was a disgusting choice. Using a genetically fingerprinted US Army military grade Anthrax was not very smart. They never thought anyone would research the materials genetic fingerprint. Money, power, greed for gain, they all need to be indicted for crimes against humanity in the World Court where justice will be served for all.

[samsel3]

Whew! And here I thought they were trying to sell the Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter and the Temple of the Lost Ark at Narnia!

Posted by DaVicar2 at 09:51 AM : Aug 05, 2008

February 12, 1998 John J. Maresca vp of UNOCAL oil appeared before a House sub committee. The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for exploitation of oil & natural gas resources, for the rights purchased by BIG OIL in the Caspian Sea area.

In his testimony he stated, "The key question is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets ".

The exploitation option stated : "One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed by American companies because of U.S. sanctions (with Iran ) . The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which of course has it''s own unique challenges. " He continued saying, " the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments,lenders (world monitary fund & world bank ) ,and our company "......"

UNOCAL and other American companies are prepared to undertake the job ".

[samsel3]

On January 26, 1998 in a letter to the President the PNAC asked Clinton to invade Iraq and get rid of Saddam Hussein. Clinton refused their request........

[samsel3]

I have more convincing evidence that Bill Clinton was behind the 9/11 attack than anyone has produced to single out Cheney as the driving force behind the anthrax attack. The Cheney theory is pure fantasy without a shred of evidence to support it.

Posted by txgrouch2006 at 09:28 AM : Aug 05, 2008

Al Quaeda did 911 in retaliation for CIA activities in Afghanistan trying to topple the Taliban for the Caspian Sea Pipelines Project.

[samsel3]

THESE RABID LIBS ARE NOW SPREADING FEAR AND PARANOIA, just like THEY ACCUSE BUSH/CHENEY OF DOING.
Posted by txgrouch2006 at 09:14 AM : Aug 05, 2008

It''s all about MONEY, POWER and GREED for gain. After all most of this administrations player''s are all members of the PNAC (Project for a New American Century ). Their objectives and plan are brilliant.
Their determination is undaunting. Most importantly, they have the money to accomplish their goals.......

[samsel3]

THESE RABID LIBS ARE NOW SPREADING FEAR AND PARANOIA, just like THEY ACCUSE BUSH/CHENEY OF DOING.
Posted by txgrouch2006 at 09:14 AM : Aug 05, 2008

It''s all about MONEY, POWER and GREED for gain. After all most of this administrations player''s are all members of the PNAC (Project for a New American Century ). Their objectives and plan are brilliant.
Their determination is undaunting. Most importantly, they have the money to accomplish their goals.......