Difference between revisions of "Bruce Ivins"

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{{SMWData
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{{Person
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|name=Bruce Ivins
 
|ON_constitutes=Lone nut
 
|ON_constitutes=Lone nut
|Description=A biodefense researcher at Fort Detrick, Maryland who, the FBI concluded, sent anthrax letters with crude anti-Zionist messages to the US politicians who were holding up the rollback of civil liberties in the wake of 9/11. After $100,000,000 case, he was declared to be the lone nut responsible shortly after he was found dead.
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|ON_killer=Bruce Ivins
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|killer=Unknown
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|nndb=https://www.nndb.com/people/053/000173531/
 +
|description=A biodefense researcher at Fort Detrick, Maryland who, the FBI concluded, sent anthrax letters with crude anti-Zionist messages to the US politicians who were holding up the rollback of [[civil liberties]] in the wake of 9/11. After an investigation costing around $100,000,000 Ivins was declared to be a "lone nut" responsible for the crime shortly after he was found dead.
 +
|birth_date=April 22, 1946
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|death_date=July 29, 2008
 +
|death_cause=drug overdose
 +
|image=BruceIvins.jpg
 +
|constitutes=researcher, scientist, 9-11/Premature death
 +
|victim_of=premature death
 +
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Edwards_Ivins
 +
|alma_mater=University of Cincinnati
 +
|birth_place=Lebanon, Ohio, U.S.
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|death_place=Frederick Memorial Hospital, Frederick, Maryland, U.S.
 +
|nationality=American
 +
|religion=Roman Catholic
 +
|interests=biological weapons, vaccines
 +
|historycommons=http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=bruce_ivins_1
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|employment=
 
}}
 
}}
Bruce Ivins was a microbiologist, vaccinologist and biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland.  He allegedly committed suicide by takeing a drug overdose on July 29, 2008. He was named by the [[FBI]] as a "[[lone nut]]" behind the [[Amerithrax Anthrax Attacks]] just after [[9/11]].<ref name=washtimes>{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=5502344 |title=U.S. wanted death penalty in anthrax case |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=2008-08-01 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |author=Apuzzo, Matt and Dishneau, David |quote=Federal prosecutors investigating the 2001 anthrax attacks were planning to indict and seek the death penalty against a top Army microbiologist who was developing a vaccine against the deadly toxin.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | issn = 0458-3035 | last = Willman | first = David | title = Senators question FBI's handling of anthrax inquiry | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | accessdate = 2008-09-23 | date = 2008-09-18 | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-anthrax18-2008sep18,0,2539984.story | quote = Ivins, 62, committed suicide July 29. His former lawyers have said they would have won his acquittal at a trial.  }}</ref>No formal charges were ever filed against him for that crime, and no direct evidence of his involvement has been uncovered.<ref name=Doubt>[[Glenn Greenwald|Greenwald, Glenn]] (2011-02-16) [http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/02/16/ivans/index.html Serious doubt cast on FBI's anthrax case against Bruce Ivans], ''[[Salon.com]]''</ref>
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'''Dr. Bruce Ivins''' was a microbiologist, vaccinologist and biological weapons [[researcher]] at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland.  He allegedly committed suicide by taking a drug overdose on July 29, 2008 and the [[FBI]] later named by him as a "[[lone nut]]" behind the [[Amerithrax Anthrax Attacks]] just after [[9/11]].<ref name=washtimes>{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=5502344 |title=U.S. wanted death penalty in anthrax case |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=2008-08-01 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |author=Apuzzo, Matt and Dishneau, David |quote=Federal prosecutors investigating the 2001 anthrax attacks were planning to indict and seek the death penalty against a top Army microbiologist who was developing a vaccine against the deadly toxin.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | issn = 0458-3035 | last = Willman | first = David | title = Senators question FBI's handling of anthrax inquiry | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | accessdate = 2008-09-23 | date = 2008-09-18 | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-anthrax18-2008sep18,0,2539984.story | quote = Ivins, 62, committed suicide July 29. His former lawyers have said they would have won his acquittal at a trial.  }}</ref>No formal charges were ever filed against him for that crime, and no direct evidence of his involvement has been uncovered.<ref name=Doubt>[[Glenn Greenwald|Greenwald, Glenn]] (2011-02-16) [http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/02/16/ivans/index.html Serious doubt cast on FBI's anthrax case against Bruce Ivans], ''[[Salon.com]]''</ref>
  
On August 6, 2008, federal prosecutors declared Ivins to be the ([[lone nut]]) culprit of the crime.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/06/anthrax.case/index.html?eref=rss_topstories U.S. officials declare researcher is anthrax killer] CNN 6 August 2008</ref> Two days later, Sen. Charles Grassley and Rep. Rush Holt called for hearings into the [[DOJ]] and [[FBI]]'s handling of the investigation. <ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-na-anthrax8-2008aug08,0,2258246.story Anthrax investigation should be investigated, congressmen say] Associated Press 8 August  2008</ref> <ref>ISBN 978-1-60239-715-6 The Anthrax Letters: A Bioterrorism Expert Investigates the Attacks That Shocked America-Case Closed?</ref> On February 19, 2010, the FBI formally closed its investigation. <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/us/20anthrax.html F.B.I., Laying Out Evidence, Closes Anthrax Letters Case] New York Times 19 February 2010</ref>  
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==Official Narrative==
 +
On August 6, 2008, federal prosecutors declared Ivins to be the ([[lone nut]]) culprit of the crime.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/06/anthrax.case/index.html?eref=rss_topstories U.S. officials declare researcher is anthrax killer] CNN 6 August 2008</ref> Two days later, senators [[Charles Grassley]] and [[Rush Holt]] called for hearings into the [[DOJ]] and [[FBI]]'s handling of the investigation.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-na-anthrax8-2008aug08,0,2258246.story Anthrax investigation should be investigated, congressmen say] Associated Press 8 August  2008</ref><ref>ISBN 978-1-60239-715-6 The Anthrax Letters: A Bioterrorism Expert Investigates the Attacks That Shocked America-Case Closed?</ref> On February 19, 2010, the FBI formally closed its investigation. <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/us/20anthrax.html F.B.I., Laying Out Evidence, Closes Anthrax Letters Case] New York Times 19 February 2010</ref>  
  
 
Media reports focused on other possible suspects for years, but FBI files show that the investigation began to focus on Bruce Edwards Ivins as early as April 4, 2005, when Dr. Ivins told the FBI he would not talk any further without his lawyer present.  On April 11, 2007, Dr. Ivins was put under periodic surveillance because "Bruce Edwards Ivins is an extremely sensitive suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks".<ref>[http://foia.fbi.gov/amerithrax/847444.PDF FBI file #847444, page 67]</ref> Ivins was a scientist who worked at the government's biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. In June 2008, Ivins was told of the impending prosecution, and on July 27, 2008 it is claimed he committed suicide using an overdose of acetaminophen.<ref> [http://www.latimes.com/bal-te.anthrax03aug03,0,3970920.story Ivins case reignites debate on anthrax] LA Times 3 August 2008</ref>
 
Media reports focused on other possible suspects for years, but FBI files show that the investigation began to focus on Bruce Edwards Ivins as early as April 4, 2005, when Dr. Ivins told the FBI he would not talk any further without his lawyer present.  On April 11, 2007, Dr. Ivins was put under periodic surveillance because "Bruce Edwards Ivins is an extremely sensitive suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks".<ref>[http://foia.fbi.gov/amerithrax/847444.PDF FBI file #847444, page 67]</ref> Ivins was a scientist who worked at the government's biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. In June 2008, Ivins was told of the impending prosecution, and on July 27, 2008 it is claimed he committed suicide using an overdose of acetaminophen.<ref> [http://www.latimes.com/bal-te.anthrax03aug03,0,3970920.story Ivins case reignites debate on anthrax] LA Times 3 August 2008</ref>
  
A review of the science used in the investigation is under way at the National Academy of Sciences. <ref>[http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2008/09/16-01.html?rss=1 Science review underway]</ref>  Some information about the case related to Ivins' mental problems is still "under seal." <ref>[http://www.justice.gov/amerithrax/docs/amx-investigative-summary.pdf FBI Summary Report] Footnote pp. 8</ref>
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A review of the science used in the investigation is under way at the National Academy of Sciences. <ref>[http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2008/09/16-01.html?rss=1 Science review underway]</ref>  Some information about the case related to Ivins' alleged mental problems is still "under seal." <ref>[http://www.justice.gov/amerithrax/docs/amx-investigative-summary.pdf FBI Summary Report] Footnote pp. 8</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Innocence==
 +
The head of the [[FBI]]'s investigation was unhappy with the conclusion that Ivins was a 'lone nut' killer, and publicly charged in a whistleblower lawsuit in April 2015 that the FBI had suppressed evidence (which he declined to specify) which would have exonerated him.<ref name=911b>http://911blogger.com/news/2015-04-17/head-fbi-s-anthrax-investigation-says-whole-thing-was-sham</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Evidence===
 +
Many points of evidence cast doubt on Ivins' guilt:
 +
* Handwriting analysis failed to link the anthrax letters to known writing samples from Ivins
 +
* No textile fibers were found in Ivins’ office, residence or vehicles matching fibers found on the scotch tape used to seal the envelopes
 +
* No pens were found matching the ink used to address the envelopes
 +
* Samples of his hair failed to match hair follicles found inside the Princeton, N.J., mailbox used to mail the letters
 +
* No souvenirs of the crime, such as newspaper clippings, were found in his possession as commonly seen in serial murder cases
 +
* The FBI could not place Ivins at the crime scene with evidence, such as gas station or other receipts, at the time the letters were mailed in September and October 2001
 +
* Lab records show the number of late nights Ivins put in at the lab first spiked in August 2001, weeks before the 9/11 attacks<ref name=911b/>
 +
 
 +
===Allegations of FBI corruption===
 +
"Ivins cooperated with the FBI's investigations over the six years following the anthrax mailings, but by early 2008 federal agents made it clear that he was the prime suspect. Feds tailed him everywhere, around the clock, month after month. Ivins complained that FBI agents had offered to pay $2.5M to his son if he would provide evidence incriminating his father, and the FBI confronted his daughter with photographs of the anthrax victims, telling her, "This is what your father did"."<ref>https://www.nndb.com/people/053/000173531/</ref>
 
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==References==
 
==References==
 
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Latest revision as of 17:45, 21 July 2019

"“Lone nut”"
Person.png Bruce Ivins   NNDBRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(researcher, scientist, 9-11/Premature death)
BruceIvins.jpg
BornApril 22, 1946
Lebanon, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJuly 29, 2008 (Age 62)
Frederick Memorial Hospital, Frederick, Maryland, U.S.
Cause of death
drug overdose
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Cincinnati
ReligionRoman Catholic
Victim ofpremature death
Supposed perpetrator of2001 Anthrax attacks
Interests • biological weapons
• vaccines
A biodefense researcher at Fort Detrick, Maryland who, the FBI concluded, sent anthrax letters with crude anti-Zionist messages to the US politicians who were holding up the rollback of civil liberties in the wake of 9/11. After an investigation costing around $100,000,000 Ivins was declared to be a "lone nut" responsible for the crime shortly after he was found dead.

Dr. Bruce Ivins was a microbiologist, vaccinologist and biological weapons researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. He allegedly committed suicide by taking a drug overdose on July 29, 2008 and the FBI later named by him as a "lone nut" behind the Amerithrax Anthrax Attacks just after 9/11.[1][2]No formal charges were ever filed against him for that crime, and no direct evidence of his involvement has been uncovered.[3]

Official Narrative

On August 6, 2008, federal prosecutors declared Ivins to be the (lone nut) culprit of the crime.[4] Two days later, senators Charles Grassley and Rush Holt called for hearings into the DOJ and FBI's handling of the investigation.[5][6] On February 19, 2010, the FBI formally closed its investigation. [7]

Media reports focused on other possible suspects for years, but FBI files show that the investigation began to focus on Bruce Edwards Ivins as early as April 4, 2005, when Dr. Ivins told the FBI he would not talk any further without his lawyer present. On April 11, 2007, Dr. Ivins was put under periodic surveillance because "Bruce Edwards Ivins is an extremely sensitive suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks".[8] Ivins was a scientist who worked at the government's biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. In June 2008, Ivins was told of the impending prosecution, and on July 27, 2008 it is claimed he committed suicide using an overdose of acetaminophen.[9]

A review of the science used in the investigation is under way at the National Academy of Sciences. [10] Some information about the case related to Ivins' alleged mental problems is still "under seal." [11]

Innocence

The head of the FBI's investigation was unhappy with the conclusion that Ivins was a 'lone nut' killer, and publicly charged in a whistleblower lawsuit in April 2015 that the FBI had suppressed evidence (which he declined to specify) which would have exonerated him.[12]

Evidence

Many points of evidence cast doubt on Ivins' guilt:

  • Handwriting analysis failed to link the anthrax letters to known writing samples from Ivins
  • No textile fibers were found in Ivins’ office, residence or vehicles matching fibers found on the scotch tape used to seal the envelopes
  • No pens were found matching the ink used to address the envelopes
  • Samples of his hair failed to match hair follicles found inside the Princeton, N.J., mailbox used to mail the letters
  • No souvenirs of the crime, such as newspaper clippings, were found in his possession as commonly seen in serial murder cases
  • The FBI could not place Ivins at the crime scene with evidence, such as gas station or other receipts, at the time the letters were mailed in September and October 2001
  • Lab records show the number of late nights Ivins put in at the lab first spiked in August 2001, weeks before the 9/11 attacks[12]

Allegations of FBI corruption

"Ivins cooperated with the FBI's investigations over the six years following the anthrax mailings, but by early 2008 federal agents made it clear that he was the prime suspect. Feds tailed him everywhere, around the clock, month after month. Ivins complained that FBI agents had offered to pay $2.5M to his son if he would provide evidence incriminating his father, and the FBI confronted his daughter with photographs of the anthrax victims, telling her, "This is what your father did"."[13]

 

Related Quotation

PageQuoteAuthorDate
2001 Anthrax attacks“If [Bruce Ivins] is the one who sent the letter, I do not believe in any way, shape or manner that he is the only person involved in this attack on Congress and the American people. I do not believe that at all. I believe there are others involved, either as accessories before or accessories after the fact. I believe that there are others out there, I believe there are others who could be charged with murder. I just want you to know how I feel about it, as one of the people who was aimed at in the attack."”Patrick LeahySeptember 2008

 

Related Document

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Document:All Roads Lead to Dark Winterreport1 April 2020Whitney Webb
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References

  1. {{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
  2. {{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
  3. Greenwald, Glenn (2011-02-16) Serious doubt cast on FBI's anthrax case against Bruce Ivans, Salon.com
  4. U.S. officials declare researcher is anthrax killer CNN 6 August 2008
  5. Anthrax investigation should be investigated, congressmen say Associated Press 8 August 2008
  6. ISBN 978-1-60239-715-6 The Anthrax Letters: A Bioterrorism Expert Investigates the Attacks That Shocked America-Case Closed?
  7. F.B.I., Laying Out Evidence, Closes Anthrax Letters Case New York Times 19 February 2010
  8. FBI file #847444, page 67
  9. Ivins case reignites debate on anthrax LA Times 3 August 2008
  10. Science review underway
  11. FBI Summary Report Footnote pp. 8
  12. a b http://911blogger.com/news/2015-04-17/head-fbi-s-anthrax-investigation-says-whole-thing-was-sham
  13. https://www.nndb.com/people/053/000173531/