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American Morning
Interview with Clint van Zandt
Aired September 06, 2002 - 08:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now to anthrax. A year ago, few of us ever imagined it as a threat, if we knew anything about the disease, for that matter. But since five people were killed in the past year, anthrax has found an all too common place in our vocabulary.
Just this week, in fact, 11 police departments north of Boston on the alert after receiving letters containing a white powder. Preliminary testing now showed that it was a hoax. So many times it has been that same story.
Yesterday, the attorney for Steven Hatfill, who was fired from his job this week at LSU, demanded that John Ashcroft, the attorney general, find his client a new job. Hatfill has not been charged with any crime, nor, for that matter, has anyone else. And that's our jumping off point.
In D.C., former FBI profiler Clint van Zandt is back with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good to have you back, sir.
Good morning.
CLINT VAN ZANDT, FORMER FBI PROFILER: Thanks, Bill.
Good morning.
HEMMER: You have said some fascinating things. You say this, indeed, is an American who did this. Why so convinced?
VAN ZANDT: Well, you know, it's, when we see the events of September 11 and we see how quickly these letters were sent, although they came awakened three weeks later, they still have the date of September 11. This is someone, number one, who's trying very hard to tie his wagon to the events of September 11.
The way the letter is constructed, the language in the letter, to whom it was sent, all of those, unfortunately, Bill, scream to me American. I mean, you know, as an American I would much rather make a case that one of the hijackers from September 11 -- we know in June of 2001 one of the hijackers went to a hospital and he had a burn on his leg they thought might have been anthrax.
Let's say Mohamed Atta did it and everybody died, or let's say that Saddam did it and make a case for war. But I don't see the government do that. We're taking the hard hit and saying it could well be one of us, Bill. HEMMER: How about this description? Let's put it up for our screen. I mentioned the fact that you think it's an American.
VAN ZANDT: Yes.
HEMMER: You also say an expert in chemical and biological weapons, previously warned of chemical and bioterrorism threat, a patriotic view of him or herself and not a loner.
Listen, you worked on the Unabomber case with Ted Kaczynski for years.
VAN ZANDT: I did.
HEMMER: You think there are parallels here. How so if Kaczynski was such a loner in that cabin in Montana and you don't think that fits here? Shake that out.
VAN ZANDT: Yes, I think there's parallels between this case, the Unabomber and Timothy McVeigh, because I think the Unabomber and Timothy McVeigh both, in their minds, felt they were warning America about something. In the case of the Unabomber, about technology. In the case of Timothy McVeigh, about excesses on the part of government.
I think the person who sent the anthrax letter has probably made a case for a number of years, just over the hill, America, is anthrax, is C.B. terrorism and people weren't listening to him. So he seized on the events of September 11 to make his case and may well believe himself to be patriotic because he finally got our attention. We all now know what Cipro is.
HEMMER: Yes, very true.
Listen, I'm not looking for an indictment here on Steven Hatfill...
VAN ZANDT: Absolutely not.
HEMMER: ... but does he fit your profile?
VAN ZANDT: Well, the FBI, we know, Bill, are looking at 20, 25 different people every day. You know, one day you're a better suspect, the next day you're less of a suspect. Steven Hatfill is no more now nor less of a suspect per se. But, you know, his name came to the attention of the media through the media. The media happened to be in his neighborhood when the Bureau did the first search. The second time a neighbor called up and told TV crews hey, you'd better get out here.
So he is, I think, a person, as the attorney general says, a person of interest because of his background, because of some mistruths in his bio that he's put out and because of his access to anthrax, because he commissioned a study of sending anthrax through the mail in 1999.
He's someone that needs to be looked at. But he's one of about 20 or more people that are being looked at any one day.
HEMMER: Always good to have you. Come on back, OK?
VAN ZANDT: Thanks for having me.
HEMMER: Clint van Zandt, former FBI profiler, in D.C.
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