* Tracing the path of Abdur Rauf … did al-Qaeda acquire anthrax capabilities? when? where?

why the FBI failed to solve the 2001 anthrax case

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Tracing the path of Abdur Rauf …

did al-Qaeda acquire anthrax capabilities? when? where?

"I successfully achieved ..."

"equipments and glassware ..."

Ayman al-Zawahiri

^^^ click small images to enlarge ^^^

A previous post on this blog published a 1999 letter from Abdur Rauf to Ayman al-Zawahiri, (obtained by a FOIA request by a CASE CLOSED blog participant) in which Rauf wrote  … “I have successfully achieved my targets during my visit to …???…” Unfortunately, the lab where Abdur Rauf apparently completed his mission was redacted from the released document. (see thumbnail above left)

According to an article by Joby Warrick in the Washington Post (10-30-06) … Abdur Rauf, using his membership in a prestigious scientific organization to gain access, had traveled on a quest to obtain anthrax spores and the equipment needed to turn them into highly lethal biological weapons. Abdur Rauf reported directly to al-Qaeda’s No. 2 commander, Ayman al-Zawahiri

Another 1999 letter (see above right) from Abdur Rauf to Ayman al-Zawahiri reveals that Abdur Rauf was looking to acquire lab equipment. (see thumbnail above right)

… connecting the dots ???

Marcia Chambers, in a series of posts on this blog, raised issues relating to the destruction of Ames anthrax strains at Iowa State University (ISU) just days after the first anthrax attack letters were mailed. No one denies that these strains were in fact destroyed.

Authors Bob Coen and Eric Nadler, writing in “DEAD SILENCE:  Fear and Terror on the Anthrax Trail” report (page 29) … “The USDA (in Ames, Iowa) ran a laboratory not far from the (Iowa State) university but had to retrieve its anthrax collection from a storage closet it rented in a local strip mall under less than standard biohazard safety levels. These samples — crucial baseline samples for “Amerithrax” detectives — were also destroyed (with, astonishingly enough, the approval of the FBI), making it impossible for investigators to compare them when it seemed possible later that the anthrax in the letters may indeed have been linked to Ames,Iowa as well as to the Ames strain.”

Consider …

• ISU’s USDA BL-3 lab would be a perfectly logical choice for Abdur Rauf to visit given its agricultural orientation.
• ISU and the FBI have yet to put forward a coherent explanation for the destruction of its Ames anthrax samples.
• Perhaps what ISU is not reporting is that they had let Abdur Rauf, Zawahiri’s al-Qaeda operative, visit their lab.

QUESTIONS … QUESTIONS … QUESTIONS

• Did the FBI ever follow-up leads regarding Abdur Rauf’s trips?
• Did the FBI ever follow-up leads from Marcia Chambers?
• Who authorized the destruction of the Ames strains at Iowa State University in 2001? Why?
• Did the FBI consult a genetics expert when they were asked if it was okay to destroy the inventory?
• Which lab(s) did Abdur Rauf actually visit?

America needs Congressman Rush Holt’s ANTHRAX INVESTIGATION COMMISSION … write to your Representative!

Related CASE CLOSED blog posts …

• What lab did Abdur Rauf visit? … what-bl-3-lab-did-abdur-rauf-visit/
• Marcia Chambers’ story (7 installments) … marcias-story/
• Anthrax Investigation Commission … do-you-want-the-anthrax-commission-to-happen-heres-how-you-can-help/