The Unsolved Mystery of the anthrax attacks.
Oct. 8: Environmental tests detect the anthrax bacteria at the American Media building in Boca
Raton, Florida. A co-worker of Bob Stevens who died October 5 from anthrax also tests positive
for the disease and the building where both worked is closed after the bacterium was detected
there. The FBI takes over the investigation into the Florida anthrax death after the germ was
found in the nose of a co-worker and on a computer keyboard in their office. American air
strikes on Taliban positions continue for the second day.
Oct. 9: FBI agents wearing bio hazard suits swarm over the American Media Inc. building in
Boca Raton, Florida. FBI and local law enforcement closed the building which houses the offices
of several supermarket tabloids. All 300 people who work in the building and anyone who spent
more than an hour inside since Aug. 1 were advised to visit health officials. American air strikes
on Taliban positions continue for the third straight day.
Oct. 10: FBI investigators spent their third day collecting evidence in the newspaper offices of
the two men whose exposure to anthrax has prompted heightened fear of bioterrorism across
America. American forces continue to strike military targets in Afghanistan, but the focus for
Americans is quickly turning to the anthrax scare.
Oct. 11: A third person employed by American Media tests positive for anthrax in Florida and
officials say the probe into the source of the disease is now a criminal investigation. President
George W. Bush speaks at a memorial service at the Pentagon. Bush vowed to destroy terror
with 'every weapon' in the U.S. arsenal as he marked one month since the Sept. 11 attacks at a
Pentagon speech. Air strikes continue for the fifth day. View Ground Zero images on Oct. 11th.
Oct. 12: New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani speaks at a news conference and announces that an
NBC News employee in New York has tested positive for anthrax in tests done after the network
received suspicious mail addressed to NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw. CNN said the employee
was exposed to the bacteria after opening a suspicious package at the NBC's Rockefeller Center
headquarters 10 days ago. U.S. President George W. Bush, at the White House celebrating
National Hispanic Heritage Month, speaks about the anthrax scare sweeping the nation. In the
latest of threats upon the U.S., Bush tries to reassure Americans that they are safe. U.S.
Attorney General John Ashcroft holds a news conference at the Department of Health and
Human Services in Washington to discuss anthrax threats. Ashcroft said that people should be
cautious when opening suspicious items they receive in the mail. American forces continue
bombing strategic Taliban positions in Afghanistan.
Oct. 13: Afghanistan assesses the damage after a seventh straight night of U.S. bombing raids,
as the ruling Taliban defiantly snub U.S. demands to surrender Osama bin Laden. In a
statement broadcast on Qatar's al-Jazeera television network Al Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman
Bu Ghaith, warns Americans and Britons, especially Muslims, children and 'all those who oppose
U.S. policy, not to ride planes or live in high buildings.'
Oct. 14: Jalalabad, long surrounded by militant training camps including some for bin Laden's
al Qaeda network, sees particularly heavy bombardment since the United States launched its
first strikes one week ago. U.S. warplanes again pounded Afghanistan, beginning a second
week of strikes against Islamic Taliban rulers and loyalists of Osama bin Laden.
Oct. 15: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle talks to reporters on Capitol Hill after an
envelope containing a suspicious powder, believed to be anthrax was opened in his office.
Daschle staffers exposed to the substance are treated with antibiotics, a Capitol Hill physician
tells a news conference attended by Daschle and Capitol Hill police. Health and postal officials
said a small amount of anthrax spores had been found in a Postal Service mail sorting facility in
Boca Raton. Suspicious letters and powder are reported at Microsoft offices in Reno, Nevada,
and in several countries including Canada, Australia, France, and Germany.
Oct. 16: A 7-month-old son of an ABC producer tests positive for anthrax exposure after
visiting the building three weeks prior. Microsoft's Bill Gates said the software giant was
boosting security measures after six employees were exposed to a letter that tested positive for
anthrax. In the United States, the number of people exposed to the potentially deadly germ
rises to at least 12. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Pakistan President General Pervez
Musharraf meet in Islamabad. Powell arrived in the Muslim country amid protests by Islamic
groups that back Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and that are furious Musharraf is backing the
military action in neighboring Afghanistan. The U.S. military, which first dropped bombs, then
food, on Afghanistan, launches a paper propaganda assault by dropping nearly half a million
leaflets to convey a message that the United States is not the enemy, the Pentagon said. The
leaflet shows a photo of an Afghan man shaking hands with a Western soldier. American forces
strike Taliban positions for the ninth straight day.
Oct. 17: Palestinian gunmen assassinate far-right Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Zeevi in
revenge for the killing of a militant leader, throwing U.S.-led peace efforts into turmoil. The
radical Palestinian Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for
shooting Zeevi, a 75-year-old former general who advocated the 'transfer' of Arabs from land
claimed by Jews. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the killing marked a major change in
Israeli-Palestinian relations. "The situation is different today, and will not again be like it was
yesterday," he said.
Thirty-one staffers at Tom Daschle's office test positive for anthrax. New York Governor George
Pataki speaks to the media at a news conference in New York, and says his offices showed the
presence of anthrax in a test and has been closed for further testing and decontamination work.
Germany's Bayer company promises it will be able to deliver 200 million Cipro tablets in the
next three months. Ciprobay is used to treat anthrax. U.S. President Bush and Vice President
Dick Cheney meet with Congressional leaders prior to Bush's departure for a trip to the
21-nation gathering of Asian-Pacific leaders in Shanghai. The trip will take Bush out of the
country for five days.
Oct. 18: Two new cases of the skin form of anthrax are reported - one involving an assistant to
CBS anchorman Dan Rather and the other a postal worker in New Jersey. That brings to six the
total number of confirmed cases of anthrax infection. U.S. aircraft rain more bombs from the
skies above Afghanistan but a Taliban minister said Osama bin Laden and his hardline Islamic
protectors were all alive and well even as the toll rose. Victory in Afghanistan will require putting
troops on the ground in addition to bombing terrorist and Taliban targets from the air, Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon press conference.
Oct. 19: U.S. ground forces battle in Afghanistan, opening a new phase of the war on terrorism
after nearly two weeks of fierce air strikes, a defense official said. President Bush meets with
Chinese President Zemin and Asian Pacific leaders in Shanghai. The anthrax strains surfacing
with terrifying impact in Florida, New York and Washington are all similar, said Bush officials,
likely indicating a single source. " We obviously are preparing for more," said homeland
security chief Tom Ridge. A second New Jersey mail carrier is confirmed to have skin anthrax.
Oct. 20: Elite U.S. Rangers launch raids into Afghanistan in the dark of night. Two U.S. soldiers
are killed when their helicopter crashes in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border. In China, Bush
says the soldiers "did not die in vain." Later Bush meets with Russian President Putin and
Chinese President Zemin. Anthrax is confirmed at the Ford building on Capitol Hill. The FBI
locates the mailbox in New Jersey where anthrax letters dropped. Paul McCartney and dozens
of stars perform at a benefit concert in New York City. Israeli tanks move into Palestinian cities.
Oct. 21: The 21-member APEC countries, meeting in Shanghai China, end their conference and
issue a joint statement denouncing terrorism. Israeli tanks enter several Palestinian cities in the
West Bank in response to the assassination of cabinet minister Zeevi. Israel insists that Arafat
hand over the killers. Several Palestinians are killed in street battles with Israeli troops. Mayor
Anthony Williams of Washington announces at a press conference that two postal workers at the
Brentwood postal facility in Washington D.C. are confirmed with anthrax and are hospitalized.
Tests begin on hundreds of Washington postal workers.
Oct. 22: Israeli tanks continue to roll into Palestinian controlled areas and engage in street
battles with Palestinians. President Bush returns to Washington from China. Bush administration
tells Israel to immediately leave the West Bank as Middle East tensions build. U.S. Defense
Secretary Rumsfeld scolds the press for troop movement leaks that may jeopardize lives or
missions. Air strikes in Afghanistan continue with a focus on Taliban troops in Northern
Afghanistan. Two Washington postal workers die mysteriously. Anthrax is the suspected cause.
Oct. 23: Two postal workers from the Brentwood postal facility in Washington are confirmed to
have died from inhalation anthrax. Many postal employees ask why they were not treated and
tested earlier, and why Capitol Hill staffers apparently received priority attention. Another New
Jersey postal worker is confirmed with anthrax. Anthrax is confirmed in a Washington facility
that sorts White House mail. Later President Bush emphatically tells reporters, "I don't have
anthrax." The FBI releases photographs of the letters, confirmed to carry anthrax spores, that
were sent to Tom Daschle, Tom Brokaw, and the Editor of the NY Post. U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell meets Israeli Minister Shimon Peres and asks Israel to withdraw from Palestinian
controlled areas. Earlier Israel tells US that withdrawal demands are "out of line." The IRA
promises to disarm "to save the peace process" in Northern Ireland.
Oct. 24: Israel continues to raid Palestinian controlled areas, and claims to have captured two
of the Zeevi assassins. U.S. Postmaster General John Potter tells Americans "There are no
guarantees that mail is safe." He also advises Americans to wash hands after handling mail. An
air strike in Kabul kills 22 Pakistani militants linked to Osama bin Laden. The U.S. House of
representatives overwhelmingly approves a domestic anti-terrorism bill giving police new
powers. Pentagon says they are "surprised at how doggedly" the Taliban are clinging to power.
Oct. 25: Under extreme pressure from the U.S. and other countries, Israel agrees to begin
withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said homeland
security is not temporary, and "will become permanent in American life." Opposition Afghan
leaders indicate frustration that the 19-day bombing campaign has failed to weaken Taliban
troops. USA Today headline reads: "Rumsfeld: bin Laden may get away." Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld later clarifies statement and says finding bin Laden "is like finding a needle in a
haystack." Anthrax at Capitol Hill is described as very high quality.
Oct. 26: U.S. President George W. Bush signs the anti-terrorism bill into law. Britain announces
that 200 elite commandos were ready for action in the U.S.-led coalition. A small amount of
anthrax spores are found in a CIA mailroom. The CIA mail goes through the Brentwood mail
facility. A state department mail handler is hospitalized with inhalation anthrax, and anthrax is
found at a New York postal facility. Anthrax is confirmed in an off-site U.S. Supreme Court mail
facility. Taliban officials say that Afghan opposition figure Abdul Haq was captured after slipping
into Afghanistan and was executed by the Taliban for treason.
Oct. 27: Abdul Haq's execution is confirmed. Taliban officials said "anyone who assists the U.S.
is liable to be killed." Haq attempted to escape after radioing for U.S. military assistance.
Between 5,000 and 10,000 Pakistani warriors join a convoy of trucks and busses heading to the
northern Afghanistan frontier. The Pakistani "jihad brigade" vowed to fight a holy war against
United States. American warplanes strike Taliban targets with increased ferocity. Civilian deaths
in Afghanistan continue to mount, with the errant bombing of a village north of Kabul killing ten.
Israeli troops delay withdrawal from Palestinian areas citing ongoing battles with gunmen.
Oct. 28: For the second straight day civilians are killed in heavy U.S. air strikes in Kabul.
Gunmen stormed into a Christian church in Behawalpur Pakistan, during Sunday services, and
sprayed the congregation with gunfire, killing the minister and 15 others. Israeli tanks leave
Bethlehem after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon gave the green light for withdrawal despite attacks
by Palestinians that killed five people in Israel. A New Jersey postal worker is diagnosed with
inhalation anthrax. A WTC memorial service, attended by victim's families, is held in New York
City at "Ground Zero", amidst the still smoldering ruins.
Oct. 29: U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller hold a press
conference and tell Americans to be on the alert for a "credible threat" within the next week
against the United States. U.S. aircraft intensify their strikes around the strategic northern
Afghanistan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Taliban Ambassador Abdul Salam Zaeef tells armed
Pakistani volunteers "we already have plenty of mujahedeen on the front line." Traces of
anthrax are found in mailrooms of the Supreme Court, the State Department, and the Health
Department. Two new cases of anthrax are reported in New Jersey, bringing the number of
confirmed cases to 15. The Skydeck at the Sears Tower in Chicago is re-opened.
Oct. 30: The Federal Aviation Administration imposes flight restrictions around U.S. nuclear
plants and advises 103 nuclear facilities to fortify security. Alert warnings issued on Oct. 29 are
based on information from Canadian intelligence officials. British PM Tony Blair arrives in Syria
to help in Middle East peace efforts. U.S. jets pounded several areas held by the Taliban. A
huge explosion north of Kabul creates a massive mushroom cloud. The Pentagon says it has
small amounts of ground troops in Afghanistan to coordinate air strikes and to open lines of
communication. A Manhattan hospital worker with inhalation anthrax is "struggling for survival."
Oct. 31: The French newspaper Le Figaro claims that Osama bin Laden stayed for 10 days in a
Dubai hospital in July, 2001 for treatment of a serious kidney ailment. Under heavy security,
two armored vehicles transported $200 million in gold from a Bank of Nova Scotia vault located
in the ruins of the World Trade Center. Taliban forces in northern Afghanistan are hit with heavy
bombardment from B-52 bombers, indicating possible preparedness for Northern Alliance troop
movements on Taliban positions. A NY hospital worker dies from inhaled anthrax, becoming the
first anthrax death not linked to the postal service or the news media.
