From CNN this morning: "Investigators are looking at whether a letter that came into the mailroom of a Florida tabloid publishing company could be the source of anthrax bacteria that killed an employee, a law enforcement source confirmed to CNN. Officials in Virginia reportedly are monitoring a possible case of anthrax." [Today on NBC just reported that preliminary tests in VA came up negative, however.]
Another related story on CNN stated that the patient in FL who died of Anthrax earlier this week lived about a mile from an air strip where Mohamed Atta, a suspected hijacker in the September 11 terrorist attacks, rented planes. His office was several miles from the strip. Considering Atta also lived and went to flight school in the Tampa Bay area...not too comforting...
And from MSNBC.com: "...The office building houses most of the country’s supermarket tabloids including The National Enquirer, The Star, The Globe, News of the World and others...NEWSWEEK has learned that the FBI is aggressively trying to locate a summer intern from nearby Florida Atlantic University in connection with the investigation. The intern, who sources said came from a Middle Eastern country, had sent an e-mail to all employees that a top American Media official described as 'peculiar'. The e-mail thanked company employees for the help he gave them, but then contained language suggesting that he wasn’t saying 'goodbye'. Another company official recalled the email as having 'a sense of foreboding' and referring to a 'surprise' or 'something that he left behind'. Said the official, 'it was weird'...Several are focusing on a letter that arrived at the company about a week before the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. It was described by sources as a 'weird love letter to Jennifer Lopez'—similar, outwardly, to the types of mail the tabloids often get. But inside the oddly-worded letter was what was described as a 'soapy, powdery substance' and in the pile of that a cheap Star of David charm. The letter, per routine, was taken in by the joint mailroom of the company. Employees said the letter was handled both by Stevens and by Blanco.”
I'm very concerned right along with you. With family in VA...I keep waiting to hear more about the second report. Hang in there kiddo....
¤ ¤ posted by Tara on October 9, 2001 at 12:20 PM ¤ ¤
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