Anthrax cases prompt investigation from FBI

By Amanda Riddle

Associated Press

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The FBI is investigating the possibility that terrorism is behind the anthrax bacteria that killed a Florida man last week and have now been found in the nasal passages of a co-worker, Attorney General John Ashcroft said today.

The FBI sealed off the Boca Raton office building housing The Sun tabloid, where both men worked. State health officials also said anthrax had been found on a computer keyboard in the paper’s office.

Anthrax cannot be spread from person to person, but all 300 employees who work in the building were asked to come to a clinic so they could be tested for the bacteria.

“We regard this as an investigation that could become a clear criminal investigation,” Ashcroft said during a news conference in Washington. “We don’t have enough information to know whether this could be related to terrorism or not.”

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer would not rule out terrorism as a possible explanation, though there “is no evidence to suggest anything yet.”

Ashcroft said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta was providing expertise, but Florida Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan confirmed that the FBI is “in control of the investigation.”

Bob Stevens, 63, a photo editor at the supermarket tabloid The Sun, died Friday of inhalation anthrax, an extremely rare and lethal form of the disease. The last such death in the United States was in 1976.

Today, officials said a co-worker of Stevens, whose name was not released, had anthrax bacteria in his nasal passages. Relatively large anthrax spores that lodge in the upper respiratory tract are less dangerous than smaller spores that get into the lungs.

The co-worker was in stable condition at an unidentified Miami-Dade County hospital, according to health officials. He had been tested for anthrax because he happened to be in a hospital for an unrelated illness.

The man has not been diagnosed with the disease, and Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the CDC, said authorities may never know whether he actually had anthrax because antibiotics may have killed it before it was detected.

David Pecker, chief executive of the tabloid’s publisher, American Media Inc., said the man worked in the mailroom.

A sample of anthrax was taken from a computer keyboard at the Sun, said Dr. John Agwunobi, the state’s secretary of health. It was not immediately whose keyboard was involved.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have raised fears of biological warfare across the country and there is particular concern about the origin of the anthrax here.

Stevens lived about a mile from an air strip where suspected hijacker Mohamed Atta rented planes, said Marian Smith, owner of the flight school, said today. Several suspected hijackers also visited and asked questions at a crop-dusting business in Belle Glade, 40 miles from Stevens’ home in Lantana.

Michael Kahane, vice president and general counsel of American Media, said the company closed its Boca Raton building at the request of state health officials.

“Obviously, our first concern is the health and well-being of our employees and their families,” he said.

Only 18 cases of anthrax contracted through inhalation in the United States were documented in the 20th century, the most recent in 1976 in California. More common is a less serious form of anthrax contracted through the skin.

Anthrax can be contracted from farm animals or soil, though the bacterium is not normally found among wildlife or livestock in Florida. Stevens was described as an avid outdoorsman and gardener.

The anthrax bacterium normally has an incubation period of up to seven days, but could take up to 60 days to develop.

County medical examiners are looking over any unexplained deaths, but have not found any cases connected to anthrax.

The largest experience with inhalation anthrax was in Russia in 1979, when anthrax spores were accidentally released from a military biology facility. Seventy-nine cases of anthrax were reported, and 68 people died.

An injectable anthrax vaccine has been around since the 1970s, and the U.S. military has required anthrax vaccinations for service personnel since the Persian Gulf War.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Julia Zavgorodniy waves at her family after scanning the crowd to find them during Mariner High School’s 2025 commencement on Friday, June 13, 2025, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Dream without limit’: Thousands of Snohomish County seniors graduate

Graduations at the arena conclude this weekend with three Everett high schools on Saturday and Monroe High School on Sunday.

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands to Everett and throughout Snohomish County

Demonstrations were held nationwide to protest what organizers say is overreach by President Donald Trump and his administration.

Marysville is planning a new indoor sports facility, 350 apartments and a sizable hotel east of Ebey Waterfront Park. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New report shifts outlook of $25M Marysville sports complex

A report found a conceptual 100,000-square-foot sports complex may require public investment to pencil out.

Logo for news use featuring Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Snohomish County Board of Health looking to fill vacancy

The county is accepting applications until the board seat is filled.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.