Early anthrax suspect doubts guilt of Ivins

Full Story - Frederick News Post

Assaad, who worked in a U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease lab at Fort Detrick from 1989 to 1997 developing a vaccine for ricin, said in an interview Saturday he does not believe Ivins was guilty.

"He's a great man. He's honorable, sincere, honest and most important, he didn't kill five people and he didn't kill himself," Assaad said.

"I know what Bruce went through, because I went through it too," he said.

Ivins is the Third Scientist the FBI has Tried to Pin the Anthrax Attacks On

George Washington's blog

Ivins is the third scientist who the government has accused of being the Anthrax killer.

First the Egyptian scientist, Dr. Ayaad Assaad, was framed.

When that frame-up fell apart, they tried to frame Stephen Hatfill.

Now, a couple of weeks after the frame-up against Hatfill unraveled, they are claiming that Ivins is the guy.

As a top anthrax expert says:

"I am struck by the fact that there appears to have been at least two previous people who were pointed to who appear to have been patsies -- Steven Hatfill being one and Ayaad Assaad being another."

No wonder the former Senate Majority leader - who was himself mailed anthrax - said "he did not know if the investigation involving Ivins 'is just another false track and a real diversion of where they need to be. We don't know, and they aren't telling us.' "