Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Texas Tech University Professor Faces Arraignment Today
Aired January 16, 2003 - 05:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A Texas Tech University professor faces arraignment today in what's become a bubonic plague mystery. The FBI says there was never any danger, but concern over the incident spread like, well, the plague.
CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti sorts it all out for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Law enforcement sources say Thomas Butler is the one who told Texas Tech University 30 vials of plague were missing from his research project, prompting officials there to contact the FBI Tuesday. Wednesday night, federal prosecutors charged Butler with making false statements to the FBI.
Sources say after first telling the FBI the vials were gone, Butler later admitted he destroyed them. Why is unclear.
According to law enforcement, 30 vials were destroyed some time before January 11. But Butler allegedly did not fill out required paperwork. After the vials were reported missing, the story leaked and soon after authorities made a carefully worded announcement.
LUPE GONZALEZ, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: We have accounted for all those missing vials and we have determined that there currently is no danger to public safety whatsoever.
CANDIOTTI: Law enforcement sources tell CNN the vials of plague, some classified as bubonic plague, came from the East African country of Tanzania last April. University officials say researchers were cultivating the samples to develop antibiotics. Authorities say the samples were not armed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they were on a small slant, very small test tubes. They were not in a drier powdered form and were not, of course, weaponized in the sense that they had been developed to be resistant to certain kind of antibiotics.
CANDIOTTI: A bioterrorism expert says weaponizing the plague is not that hard, and if not handled carefully, it can be very dangerous.
CHRIS KOZLOW, INNOVATIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: The concern about plague is that it's contagious. So all you need is a carrier, a vector, someone to carry this around and possibly contaminate other people. CANDIOTTI: According to a university statement, Butler has done plague research for a quarter century and is internationally recognized in this field. During the Vietnam War, Butler reportedly helped oversee the vaccinations of American soldiers against the plague.
(on camera): So far the FBI is not saying what evidence it has the vials were destroyed. While authorities insist there is no danger, at least for a time it did rattle a lot of nerves.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 16, 2003 - 05:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A Texas Tech University professor faces arraignment today in what's become a bubonic plague mystery. The FBI says there was never any danger, but concern over the incident spread like, well, the plague.
CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti sorts it all out for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Law enforcement sources say Thomas Butler is the one who told Texas Tech University 30 vials of plague were missing from his research project, prompting officials there to contact the FBI Tuesday. Wednesday night, federal prosecutors charged Butler with making false statements to the FBI.
Sources say after first telling the FBI the vials were gone, Butler later admitted he destroyed them. Why is unclear.
According to law enforcement, 30 vials were destroyed some time before January 11. But Butler allegedly did not fill out required paperwork. After the vials were reported missing, the story leaked and soon after authorities made a carefully worded announcement.
LUPE GONZALEZ, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: We have accounted for all those missing vials and we have determined that there currently is no danger to public safety whatsoever.
CANDIOTTI: Law enforcement sources tell CNN the vials of plague, some classified as bubonic plague, came from the East African country of Tanzania last April. University officials say researchers were cultivating the samples to develop antibiotics. Authorities say the samples were not armed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they were on a small slant, very small test tubes. They were not in a drier powdered form and were not, of course, weaponized in the sense that they had been developed to be resistant to certain kind of antibiotics.
CANDIOTTI: A bioterrorism expert says weaponizing the plague is not that hard, and if not handled carefully, it can be very dangerous.
CHRIS KOZLOW, INNOVATIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: The concern about plague is that it's contagious. So all you need is a carrier, a vector, someone to carry this around and possibly contaminate other people. CANDIOTTI: According to a university statement, Butler has done plague research for a quarter century and is internationally recognized in this field. During the Vietnam War, Butler reportedly helped oversee the vaccinations of American soldiers against the plague.
(on camera): So far the FBI is not saying what evidence it has the vials were destroyed. While authorities insist there is no danger, at least for a time it did rattle a lot of nerves.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
