Steven Hatfill: Innocent, Yet Accused

The most devastating result of the 2001 anthrax attacks is the lack of consequences for those persons responsible. There has not been enough evidence discovered or presented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, to adequately declare exactly who is responsible for the anthrax attacks. Regardless, there has been great speculation around a man named Steven Hatfill, and a large portion of the American society has placed the blame for the attacks on his shoulders. By dispelling contradictory proof, dissecting evidence, and examining other possible solutions, Steven Hatfill can be proven innocent of any links to the 2001 anthrax attacks.

During the fall of 2001, envelopes containing a dry, toxic powder were mailed to numerous government and news media offices. This powder was a deadly biological weapon called anthrax. As a result of these mailings, there were eleven cases of inhalational anthrax and eleven cases of cutaneous disease (Duchin, 2003). Five people died and seventeen people became seriously ill (Linkous, 2004). John Ashcroft, the attorney general of the United States during that time period, declared to the American people that a man by the name of Steven Hatfill was a person of interest in the 2001 anthrax attacks case. Later, the FBI stated Hatfill was not a suspect, nor does it use the term person of interest (Hatfill, 2002).

Regardless, Steven Hatfill's name was on a list of potential suspects. He had been vaccinated against anthrax, and he had a wealth of knowledge about it because he was a biological weapons specialist. Although he was a biological weapons specialist, he never worked with or had experience with anthrax, prior to the attacks. In fact, the laboratory he was employed by only worked...

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