Anthrax false alarm disrupts Alabama

Anthrax scares disrupted government operations across cities in Alabama as federal authorities checked substances sent to senators and members of Congress and found it was mostly fructose. Universal Detection Technology, a company specializing in monitoring and intercepting bioterrorism attempts, said it had analyzed the materials used in the scare but did not reveal the results of its findings. Enquiries to its office in California went unanswered.

UPI reports that Officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the powder found in the mailed packets tested negative for anthrax or any other biological agent but they would still treat the situation as a terror incident until satisfied.

Several federal buildings, including locations in Birmingham and Anniston, remain shut after the letters were received at the offices of congressmen and senators around the state, Fox-affiliated WBRC television reported, Republican Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, along with Democratic Representative Bobby Bright and Republican Representatives Jo Bonner and Mike Rogers, all received letters, WBRC said.

It was one of three addressed to Shelby that was discovered in the Vance Federal Building in Birmingham Sunday. The rest were found Monday, including two addressed to Rogers that were discovered at the federal courthouse in Anniston, WBRC said. “Until we find out differently, we treat this as a bad product,” said Anniston’s assistant fire chief David Collins. “Nobody was ever in any danger.”

The FBI said the powder inside the letters was a fructose sugar substance. The nine letters had different postmarks but were all postmarked in the state of Alabama, and investigators now believe the sugar-filled mailings came from the same source.

The FBI said even though the letters appear harmless, it is a reminder of the need for federal buildings to keep security tight, a point made by Universal Detection Technology in its promotional news release about its products. “The recent white powder scares are a reminder that the bioterrorism threats are imminent and can strike anywhere, anytime,” said Jacques Tizabi, Universal Detection Technology’s CEO.

“No one can be sure in a case like this whether the substance at hand is truly anthrax or not without the proper detection equipment, so it is imperative that first responders treat every incident as an actual attack and are equipped with the appropriate tools to detect the presence of a bona fide bioweapon,” said Tizabi.

UDT says its anthrax detection equipment is used by first responders and private industry, and has been evaluated by the Pentagon and the U.K. military.