Science agency to review FBI's anthrax inquiry

[TWiley]

Science agency to review FBI's anthrax inquiry

HAGERSTOWN, Md. – The National Academy of Sciences said Friday it will review the lab work behind the FBI's conclusion that Army scientist Bruce Ivins was responsible for the anthrax mailings that killed five people in 2001.

The FBI will pay the Washington-based society nearly $880,000 for the independent, 15-month committee review of the genetic and chemical studies investigators used to link Ivins to the attacks, academy spokeswoman Jennifer Walsh said.

The review, which was requested by the FBI, won't assess the evidentiary value of the bureau's detective work or the FBI's conclusion that Ivins acted alone, the academy said.

Ivins' lawyer, Paul Kemp, has said the scientist was innocent and would have been cleared if the case had gone to trial. Some of Ivins' colleagues have expressed doubt about the FBI's conclusions.

Ivins was a civilian researcher at Fort Detrick in Frederick. He killed himself in July as investigators were preparing to charge him.

The scientific review was first reported in The New York Times.

The FBI's conclusions were based on microbial forensics, a relatively new field combining crime-investigation techniques and advanced microbiology. The bureau said scientists performed extensive tests that connected the anthrax used in the letters to that in a flask controlled by Ivins.

The academy said it will evaluate "the reliability of the principles and methods used by the FBI, and whether the principles and methods were applied appropriately to the facts."

Story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090508/ap_on_re_us/us_anthrax_investigation

I have a strong feeling that the evidence will show a cover-up and that Ivins was most likely innocent.

[Muttocracy]

1. I have the same feeling as you. Speaking of the National Academies

I'm listening to Pres. Obama's speech to them a few weeks ago. Yay for the return of Science to the federal government!

http://edg1.vcall.com/video/nas/launch.asp

[bleever]

2. K&R.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. K&R

[EFerrari]

4. The evidence will likely show the FBI science is flawed.

I've been reading about this already on Meryl Nass's blog.

So, on top of having no case and on top of LYING to us, the science they told us to wait for is BS.

Their own top scientist has already said science can't resolve this case.

[PearliePoo2]

5. Yeah...a cover-up that leads right back to............

he who resided in an "undisclosed location"?

[PearliePoo2]

6. Why did Ivins off himself?

....or DID he???????

[TWiley]

7. My question exactly. The problem here is that he knew about the subject

He could actually have defended himself using technical evidence. Pretty hard to do when you are dead. Oops, Mr. Obama wants an investigation.