"If this is the same guy who composed the note framing jihadists for the anthrax attacks ... and, as Greenwald seems to suspect, and [sic] if he was the same guy who misled ABC into reporting the presence in the anthrax of a substance that only Iraq had used to create biological weapons"

Is that what Glenn suspects? I don't recall getting that impression from Glenn's posts. Did I miss something?

MB (formerly LunaSea)

He was cast as a murderer in a high school play?!?!?!?! He MUST be the anthrax killer then.

I wonder what it means that I was cast as Bassanio when my high school performed The Merchant of Venice, particularly since I'm female.

MB

So this is what I've come up with:

• 2000-2003 Ivins is sober, not drinking; mentions family history with alcoholism

• Late 2006 FBI attention begins to focus on Ivins

• Fall 2007 According to Gerry Andrews, Ivins “falls off radar screen” and begins to have issues with alcohol, etc. Mentions house being watched.

• Nov. 1, 2007 Ivins' house searched (from emptywheel’s timeline)

• Jan-Feb 2008 Begins counseling at treatment center? (In July, 2008 Duley claims to have known Ivins for six months)

• March 2008 FBI agents harass Ivins and his family at mall.

• March 2008 Ivins tells former colleague that he suspects his therapist is cooperating with the FBI (Is this Duley? According to her testimony at hearing for protective order, she was not contacted by the FBI until a “couple of weeks” before her July 26 court appearance. Is it David Irwin? Or was Ivins just paranoid?)

• March 19, 2008 Found unconscious at home – evaluated at Frederick Memorial Hospital

• May 26, 2008 Returns from 4 weeks of rehab at the Massie Unit of the Finan Center in Cumberland. “It was a good program. . . . They talk about relapse triggers, relapse prevention, stress management, etc."

• July 2008 Duley contacted by FBI (according to Duly at July 24 hearing, she had been contacted by them in the “last couple of weeks”)

• July 9, 2008 Ivins agitated at group therapy - “out of control.” Duley contacts his attorneys (How does she know who his attorneys are?)

• July 11, 2008 Ivins leaves “threatening” messages for Duley

• July 16, 2008 Ivins to attend commitment hearing but, on advice of counsel, has himself voluntarily committed so that he will be able to check himself out

• July 24, 2008 Duley applies for protective order; Ivins scheduled to be released that day, prompting Duley’s application

• July 29, 2008 Ivins overdoses, dies July 31

Questions:

What happened between late 2006, when FBI began to focus on Ivins, and fall 2007 when Ivins was obviously having serious mental health issues, trouble with alcohol, etc. Was harassment similar to that of Hatfill taking place?

When did Ivins see Dr. David Irwin? According to court records, Ivins saw Irwin at Shady Grove Psychiatric Group in Gaithersburg. Do not know exactly when he was patient.

Who are the “several” forensic psychiatrists who have diagnosed Ivins and how does Duley know what they said? Is Irwin one of them? If Irwin, did he have permission from Ivins to discuss with Duley? If others, did they tell her? Did Ivins discuss in therapy? Or did she hear this from FBI?

How does Duley know what Ivins supposedly did as far back as 2000? Is it something he has said in therapy? Or is she repeating what FBI/other therapists told her?

It doesn't seem as though Duley had any concerns about Ivins until after the FBI contacted her. Were they "stepping up the pressure" on Ivins, causing his erratic behaviour on July 9? And what exactly did Duley's "full cooperation" with the FBI entail? Did she release confidential information from therapy sessions to FBI? What are the rules regarding privilege in a group therapy environment?

I wish I had more time to pull all the information out there together. This working for a living really interferes with things!

-MB (formerly known as LunaSea)

From the Frederick News Post

Fort Detrick scientist Bruce Ivins became a “person necessitating further investigation” in regard to the anthrax attacks shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, for several reasons, according to federal documents released at 2 p.m. today.

The reasons include:

• at the time of the attacks, he was the custodian of a large flask of highly purified anthrax spores that possess certain genetic mutations identical to the anthrax used in the attacks.

• Ivins has been unable to give investigators an adequate explanation for his late night laboratory work hours around the time of both anthrax mailings.

• Ivins has claimed that he was suffering serious mental health issues in the months preceding the attacks, and had told a co-worker that he had “incredible paranoid, delusional thoughts at times” and feared that he might not be able to control his behavior.

• Ivins is believed to have submitted false samples of anthrax from his lab to the FBI for forensic analysis in order to mislead investigators.

• at the time of the attacks, Ivins was under pressure at work to assist a private company to that had lost its FDA approval to produce an anthrax vaccine the Army needed for U.S. troops, and which Ivins believed was essential for the anthrax program at USAMRIID.

• Ivins sent an e-mail to [REDACTED] a few days before the anthrax attacks warning [REDACTED] that “Bin Laden terrorists for sure have anthrax and sarin gas” and have “just decreed death to all Jews and all Americans,” language similar to the anthrax letters warning “WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX ... DEATH TO AMERICA ... DEATH TO ISRAEL.”

Link at sig

http://www.usdoj.gov/amerithrax/

also at sig

The Washington Post has an article up that provides additional details on some of Ivins' more peculiar behavior, including his apparent threat to poison a woman if she lost a soccer game.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080604020.html

Also an editorial on why an independent review is needed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080602794.html?sid=ST2008080602183&pos=list

(Sorry, I would have shortened the links, but apparently I can't access tiny url from this computer.)

Contribution made.

-MB