The Untold Story of the Anthrax Attacks In The Shadow of 9/11

The Untold Story of The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re discussing The Untold Story of The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11.

For this video, we’ll be looking at one of America’s worst ever biological incidents and subsequent multi-year FBI investigation.

Will you be watching “The Anthrax Attacks”? Let us know in the comments.

The First Wave of Attacks

Just one week after the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center, five letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to multiple media outlets, including ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, and the New York Post - four of which went to locations in New York City. One letter went to the National Enquirer at the American Media, Inc. (AMI) office in Boca Raton, Florida. The letters were dated September 18, 2001, with a postmark from Trenton, New Jersey.

In late September, several people developed lesions, including an editorial assistant at the New York Post, a letter carrier at West Trenton post office, and Tom Brokaw’s assistant at NBC News. An ABC producer’s infant son is also hospitalized for a rash. Some reported flu-like symptoms and were later diagnosed with either cutaneous anthrax, contracted through the skin, or inhalation anthrax, through the lungs, which is almost always fatal. Patients were given antibiotics, usually Ciprofloxacin, or Cipro.

On September 30, 63-year-old AMI photo editor Robert “Bob” Stevens began to feel ill and was hospitalized, treated with penicillin. On October 5, he died of inhalation anthrax, making him the first anthrax death in the US since 1976. Stevens’ death was treated as an “isolated case” at first.

The Second Wave of Attacks

Two more anthrax-laced letters were mailed on October 9, each sent to a Democratic Senator.. The return address was from Greendale School, later discovered to not exist, in Franklin Park, New Jersey. When intern Grant Leslie opened the letter addressed to Senator Tom Daschle on Oct 15, white powder spilled onto her. It later tested positive for anthrax.

Out of the 22 people infected with anthrax, five of them died, all suffering inhalation anthrax, the most deadly type of infection. After Stevens, three more people would die in October — Thomas Morris Jr. on the 21st, and Joseph Curseen on the 22nd — both Washington postal workers — as well as New York City hospital worker Kathy Nguyen on the 31st. On November 21, 94-year-old Connecticut woman Ottilie Lundgren also died. The source of Nguyen’s and Lundgren’s exposure to anthrax is still unknown.

Amerithrax Investigation

Having occurred so soon after 9/11, the letters were initially considered an act of bioterrorism by al-Qaeda. But once the U.S. Army’s Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Maryland examined the spores, they determined it came from one specific strain. The Ames strain was the “anthrax of choice” for the military’s bioweapon vaccine program, meaning the experts helping the FBI became suspects themselves.

In January 2002, Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, a pathologist and former bioweapons scientist at the USAMRIID, was interviewed by FBI agents. On June 25, the FBI searched Hatfill’s home in Maryland, and a storage locker in Florida. However, they did not find any hard evidence of the crime.

In an August press conference, Steven Hatfill was officially named a person of interest by Attorney General John Ashcroft. And though he wasn’t actually charged with anything, Hatfill had to continually publicly defend himself. He laters holds press conferences of his own to declare his innocence in the anthrax attacks. The FBI searches his Maryland residence two more times with the same results. Regardless, the intense investigation and media coverage negatively affected his reputation.

In 2003, Hatfill filed a lawsuit claiming violation of privacy, and on June 27, 2008, he was awarded a $5.8 million settlement against the government. Months later, the Justice Department formally exonerated Hatfill.

Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins

Between 2005-06, the FBI became interested in another potential suspect, Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins, a highly respected member of anthrax vaccine research at the Fort Detrick lab. Like everyone else who worked at the Maryland lab, the civilian microbiologist had access to anthrax.

The genetic origin of the spores used in the attacks matched a flask labeled RMR-1029, which Bruce Ivins was in charge of. Investigators found his time spent working in the lab after hours suspicious. But it wasn’t unusual for him to keep those hours. It also wasn’t sufficient time to produce the anthrax and go unnoticed by colleagues. They found no physical evidence of spores on his equipment.

On April 11, 2007, Ivins was put under surveillance. Then on Nov 1, investigators searched Ivins’ home, and interviewed him and his family. No spores were found, but in his basement, they found a collection of strange items, including several guns and women’s underwear.

When Ivins was brought in for a formal interview, he explained his intense obsession with the Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) sorority, stemming from a rejection in his college days at University of Cincinnati. He admitted to conducting late night surveillance, and break-ins. Interestingly, the only mailbox to test positive for spores was near Princeton University campus, and investigators learned that there was a KKG chapter nearby.

A combination of factors led Ivins to become the prime suspect, including his past psychiatric problems, discovered through medical records and emails. Ivins confided in therapists and coworkers that he felt like he couldn’t control himself. Investigators also believed Ivins tried to mislead them by submitting false anthrax samples to show that RMR-1029 was the not source of the anthrax letters.

Ivins was involuntarily checked in to a psychiatric hospital in June 2008. And the next month, the FBI told Ivins he would be prosecuted. However, charges could not be filed because, in late July 2008, Ivins overdosed on acetaminophen, or Tylenol PM, seemingly taking his own life. In the months leading up to his death, Ivins was forced out of his place of work and had an outburst during a group therapy session.

On Feb 19, 2010, FBI declared Bruce Ivins as the lone perpetrator in the 2001 attacks. But while the FBI officially concluded their multi-year investigation, many questioned the accuracy. The National Academy of Sciences reviewed the FBI’s scientific methods used during the investigation. In 2011, their findings revealed that there was insufficient scientific evidence to prove Dr. Ivins was the culprit.

“The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11”

Netflix’s “The Anthrax Attacks” is slated to premiere Sept 8, 2022. The documentary combines interviews with investigators and survivors, along with scripted, dramatic reenactments based on FBI documents. “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”’s Clark Gregg steps into the role of Dr. Bruce Ivins.