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CNN Live Today

Photo Worth A Thousand Words?

Aired August 14, 2002 - 13:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI has a new tactic in its anthrax investigation. Agents are asking people in New Jersey about a man in a photograph, someone who looks pretty familiar.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve joins us from Washington with more on that story.

Steven Hatfill getting another day in the spotlight-- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a day in the spotlight he probably doesn't want.

The FBI canvassing in Princeton, New Jersey, a photograph is being shown to merchants and workers and residents within several blocks of the mailbox which has preliminarily tested positive for traces of anthrax. The photograph is said to look an awful lot like Dr. Steven Hatfill, according to people who have been interviewed and to law enforcement sources.

Steven Hatfill is the former U.S. Army scientist and bioweapons expert, who gave an impassioned statement Sunday proclaiming that he had never worked with anthrax, and had nothing to do with the October attacks. He said he had become a fall guy for the FBI and the subject of a smear campaign in the media.

Among those who saw media reports about that press conference, John Trubee, a financial consultant in Princeton. He was interviewed by the FBI. He told them he didn't recognize the man in the photo, neither did his coworkers. But he says the FBI agents confirmed to him that it was Hatfill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN TRUBEE, FINANCIAL CONSULTANT: But the picture they had, which was in color, and he had a T-shirt on, he had a mustache, he had a fuller head of hair. And from what I recall that what I saw on TV yesterday, I couldn't believe the two were the same one. But I couldn't argue with them. They said that, and I took them at their word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Hatfill once had a mustache. He doesn't anymore. He also was wearing his hair shorter than he once did.

The FBI is saying nothing about Hatfill publicly, but government sources do tell CNN that he is one of roughly 20 persons of interest in the investigation. One reason: his work at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute in Fort Detrick, Maryland, once headquarters for the U.S. bioweapons program.

A spokesman for Hatfill says canvassing with a photo was a legitimate law enforcement technique, but he asked why, if there are 20 or so persons of interest, only one photograph is being shown.

Meanwhile, the mailbox in question has been removed and another put in its place. It was one of about 600 that feed into the Hamilton, New Jersey processing facility that were tested for traces of anthrax. But with about 40 samples still outstanding, it is the only one that has come back positive.

These preliminary tests are sometimes unreliable, so further testing is being done at a U.S. Army facility in Aberdeen, Maryland. A postal inspection service official says those test results could come back later this week. The hope is that those tests will tell investigators whether this mailbox is where some of the fatal anthrax letters were mailed. Five people, you'll remember, were killed in those attacks, last October -- Carol.

LIN: All right, thank you very much -- Jeanne Meserve live in Washington.

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