FBI to reveal evidence in anthrax case

It is to be presented this morning to the families of the five victims who died and nearly two dozen survivors, who have been brought to Washington for a closed-door briefing at FBI headquarters. Later, Senate officials who were among the targets and reporters will also be briefed.

"The unsealed documents should answer the outstanding questions regarding the findings in this case," the official said.

An FBI agent's affidavit seeking a search warrant for Bruce E. Ivins' personal property that is nearly 100 pages long and summarizes much of the information that the bureau had gathered against him for more than a year is expected to be released.

But some survivors, relatives and lawyers representing Ivins said they had a slew of questions.

Among them: Why did the FBI focus for years on another scientist, Steven J. Hatfill, before shifting gears and fingering Ivins, a Frederick, Md., husband and father of two? And if the FBI and the Justice Department had the evidence to prove Ivins did it, then why didn't they charge him before he apparently killed himself last week?

"What troubles me is that Mr. Ivins wasn't indicted, and if he wasn't indicted, how confidant are they that they had the evidence and the information that they needed?" said former Sen. Tom Daschle, whose office received one of the letters containing the deadly spores when he was Senate Democratic leader. "The only thing that has changed is that he has committed suicide."

Daschle, who has been critical of the FBI investigation, said he welcomed the release of the investigative documents.

"I think it's important to give all of us [victims] and the American people information that they can share and some appreciation of the overall state of the investigation," Daschle said. "But I also think it's important, given the mistakes made in the past, that they are not jumping to premature conclusions."

Colleagues dubious

Even as the FBI lays out its case against Ivins, family members and colleagues at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Ft. Detrick, where Ivins worked for 28 years, will be gathering for a morning memorial service.

Dr. W. Russell Byrne, a friend and former supervisor of Ivins at Ft. Detrick, said that Ivins' colleagues were highly skeptical of the FBI's allegations but as scientists wanted to see what the agency had before making up their minds.

"All of us don't think he had anything to do with it," Byrne said. But he added: "I just have to see what they've got. You work mostly with scientists, and they say, 'Show me the data.' You look at what you've got, make a decision and then act on it."

Byrne said he was angry about what he described as overly aggressive FBI tactics.

Ivins "was being pushed to a breaking point. And it was attributed to the investigation, to the two searches of his house, taking his computer out," Byrne said. "I would hope that such actions by the FBI would be included in the reports" to be released today.

One of the nation's leading military anthrax researchers, Ivins, 62, died July 29 after taking an overdose of over-the-counter medication.

He had been told by authorities that they were preparing to seek his indictment on capital murder charges.

The federal law enforcement official said that even though no indictment was obtained, a federal grand jury had been hearing final testimony in the case and authorities had expected that Ivins would be charged within several weeks.

Multiple briefings