Text: Public Urged to Help in Hunt for Anthrax Terrorist

24 January 2002

Text: Public Urged to Help in Hunt for Anthrax Terrorist

Reward boosted to $2.5 million

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Service are stepping up their investigation to find out who mailed anthrax-tainted letters to members of Congress and media outlets last year.

In a joint press release issued January 23, the two agencies announced that they are sending a mailing to citizens in New Jersey and Pennsylvania containing photographs of four anthrax letters and a theorized profile of the type of individual that law enforcement analysts think might commit such a crime.

The information citizens will receive says the letter sender is "likely to have a scientific background/work history which may include a specific familiarity with anthrax." Also, "this individual has a comfort level in and around the Trenton, NJ area due to present or prior association." Some of the letters were mailed from Trenton, a city about 105 kilometers from New York City.

Authorities have also increased the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction to $2.5 million.

Five people have died after contact with the letters. None of them were the intended recipients of the letters, but rather citizens and postal workers who somehow inhaled anthrax spores expelled from the tainted envelopes as they moved along their delivery routes.

Following is the text of the joint press release:

(begin text)

FEBERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Press Release

January 23, 2002

Joint press release by FBI, Newark and the United States Postal Inspection Service:

A nationally-coordinated criminal investigative effort, under the direction of FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director Van Harp and Chief Postal Inspector Kenneth C. Weaver, involving the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service in Trenton, NJ; Washington, D.C.; Miami, FL; New York, NY; and Oxford, CT, continues to address the anthrax tainted letters which were postmarked in Trenton, NJ. To date, a total of five (5) innocent people have died as a result of their unsuspecting exposure to Anthrax.

In furtherance of this investigation, the United States Postal Service will begin delivery of a flyer which requests the continued assistance of the American public in this case. The initial delivery of this flyer will be to postal customers of the Trenton, NJ area and to adjacent communities of Bucks County, PA. Additionally, the flyers will be distributed to New Jersey area pharmaceutical companies and transportation depots servicing the Trenton area.

These flyers contain a photograph of the four envelopes and information that may characterize the person(s) who prepared and mailed them. These envelopes are not standard business size, but are pre stamped, smaller-sized envelopes measuring 6 1/4" x 3 1/2", and would have been sold at United States Post Offices and authorized retail outlets. The flyer also indicates that the person(s) responsible for the five deaths caused by the mailings is "likely to have a scientific background/work history which may include a specific familiarity with anthrax." Also, "this individual has a comfort level in and around the Trenton, NJ area due to present or prior association."

The reward for information has been increased up to $2,500,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for mailing the four (4) Anthrax letters. $2,000,000 is being offered by the FBI and US Postal Service and $500,000 by ADVO, Inc.

This investigation in New Jersey is being conducted by a task force, composed of numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies as well as public health agencies from all levels. The task force has received a tremendous amount of information from the general public. As a result of this outstanding response, thousands of leads have been vigorously followed to their logical conclusion.

The task force is continuing to request the public's assistance in this complex investigation which involves both public health concerns and a criminal investigation. We have reason to believe there are individuals who may have information pertinent to this investigation who have yet to come forward.

"Those responsible for the anthrax-tainted letters must be brought to justice," New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey said. "To this end, I urge the citizens of New Jersey to cooperate fully with the FBI, Postal Service, and state and local law enforcement."

Information about suspicious person(s) or any other issue(s) deemed out of the ordinary concerning this investigation could be extremely important to the investigative team. Even if you think that your information is unimportant, or that someone else may have already reported what you know, please contact us immediately. Your call may be the one that provides us with the one piece of information needed to solve this case. Please, do not assume that your information has already been provided.

"The mailings on September 18, 2001 and October 9, 2001 were an unprecedented attack on our nation's mail system. Although many of the initial investigative resources were concentrated in New Jersey, we continue to broaden the scope of the investigation and try different techniques, such as this flyer, to bring this to a successful conclusion," stated Chief Postal Inspector Kenneth C. Weaver.

"We thank the individuals who have reached out and provided information since the inception and hope that these flyers and the newly augmented reward will encourage others to contact us," said FBI Assistant Director Van Harp.

1-800-CRIME TV (1-800-274-6388) or [email protected] (Information provided to this e-mail address will be held in confidence.)

(end text)