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| Home Front: WoT |
| Capitol Hill letter; toxin or trash? |
| 2004-02-08 |
| EFL Time on-line After anthrax-tainted letters began showing up in the wake of 9/11, authorities quickly suggested that this was probably a case of homegrown terrorism rather than Round 2 of al-Qaeda’s assault on the U.S. The likely perpetrator, many still believe, was a malevolent nerd with chemistry-lab expertise and a grudge against the government. But when traces of the biological toxin ricin showed up in Senator Bill Frist’s mail room last week, the FBI and other agencies declared there was no evidence pointing to either a foreign culprit or a mad scientist. One possibility under examination: a good ole boy who knows his way around 18-wheelers, weigh stations and CB radios... Investigators tell TIME that the powder found in Frist’s mail room was mostly paper dust, with traces of ricin so minute, they can’t even be evaluated for particle size or purity. No envelope or note has been found, and no other piece of mail from the Senate has even a trace of ricin on it. Neither do any door sills, doorknobs, railings or surfaces anywhere in the building. Same goes for air filters, which should catch floating particles. That leads to a couple of theories. Perhaps an envelope in Frist’s mail room contained a letter that was forwarded to the DOT, where Fallen Angel’s grudge is aimed. Or maybe the letter was simply sent by someone who had previously handled ricin. "Let’s say he didn’t send us any product," says an investigator. "He’s just sloppy. It’s on his fingers, on his hands, or he’s using the same envelopes, same paper. That may be why we don’t have anything." Still, it’s worrisome to know that anyone is sending lethal substances through the U.S. mail—and getting away with it... Now officials have another bioweapons correspondent to worry about—or maybe more than one. Without a note or an envelope, it’s unclear whether this is related to the Fallen Angel incidents. If there was what the media are calling a "smoking letter," it may have long since gone out with the trash. Without even that much of a clue, the best that authorities can do is look for forwarded letters, reinterview Frist staff members, examine suspicious mail the Senator has got over the years—and hope that a tip or a slipup puts the latest mad mailer out of circulation. |
| Posted by:GK |
| #2 Couldn't link to the Bandit. Musta been Farked. |
| Posted by: GK 2004-2-8 10:04:13 PM |
| #1 One possibility under examination: a good ole boy who knows his way around 18-wheelers, weigh stations and CB radios. It's gotta be The Bandit! |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-2-8 8:34:57 PM |
