So, remember those anthrax attacks in 2001?
Page March 30th, 2008
October 6, 2001. Across America, people were opening their newspapers to read about Bush’s impending war in Afghanistan, or maybe another article about the September 11 terrorist attacks. Chances are, most only gave the following article a brief glance:
Florida Man Dies of Rare Form of Anthrax
A 63-year-old Florida man who had been hospitalized with pulmonary anthrax on Tuesday died today, state health officials said.
Of course, in light of the September 11 attacks, the word “terrorism” was whispered, but public health officials firmly stated that did not yet know how the man had contracted the disease.
 |  A New York City Emergency Service police officer inspects a mailbox on New York’s Fifth Avenue, yesterday. (October 17, 2001) — AP photo |
However, by October 9, the FBI had taken over the case, which was now making front page news; by October 11, three people had died in Florida. On October 13, the news broke that an NBC employee in New York had contracted anthrax:
Anthrax case confirmed in New York
An NBC employee in New York today tested positive for anthrax, following tests at the offices of the TV network after mail containing a suspicious powder was received.
The anthrax was not the inhaled form of the disease, which killed a Florida man a week ago. The female NBC employee has the skin form of the disease and is expected to recover, the network said.
 |
 With the US Capitol in the background, members of the US Marine Corps’ chemical-biological incident response force demonstrate anthrax clean-up techniques… — AP photo |
Three days later, headlines across the nation announced:
Anthrax threat comes to Congress
New security precautions and a swelling unease swept the U.S. Capitol and much of the nation yesterday after a letter testing positive for anthrax was opened in the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.The discovery of a letter containing a powdery substance and a Trenton, N.J., postmark brought the reality of terrorism literally to Congress’ desktop in the most direct way since the attack Sept. 11 on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. It caused officials to redouble efforts to secure the buildings and people on Capitol Hill and to search for a common thread.
Until 2001, there had only been 18 fatal cases of pulmonary anthrax in the US in the past 100 years; the 10 fatal cases in 2001 were the first in US history caused by an intentional release of anthrax. Eventually, public health officials were able to determine that seven anthrax-laden letters were were mailed; four were opened.
Americans waited on the edge of their seats for the FBI to announce that they’d caught the culprit (or culprits). Publicly, it looks like they hit some rough spots early on; investigators argued about the possible source of the anthrax: who might have formulated the weapon? Was it “weaponized”? Military grade? Were the perpetrator(s) former US military lab researcher(s), or maybe just researcher(s) in a civilian lab? (The Bush administration immediately tried to pin it on Saddam, of course.)
In any case, it was agreed that the anthrax was “energetic”, and “professionally done”, became airborne easily, and was therefore readily inhaled and effective as a weapon.
Five years (and many conspiracy theories) later, the feds gave their last update. They said that they’re still on the case, and that it has high priority.