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CNN Saturday Morning News

Investigators Attempt to Discover Origin of Anthrax Letters

Aired October 20, 2001 - 07:17   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Investigators in New Jersey scoured two postal buildings looking for clues to the origin of anthrax-laced letters. The letters were postmarked in Trenton and mailed to the Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill and to NBC News.

CNN's Brian Palmer joins us live now from New Jersey with the latest on that.

Good morning, Brian.

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.

We are in front of one of those postal sites right now, the West Trenton branch of the post office in Ewing Township, New Jersey. This was the workplace of the letter carrier, the female letter carrier who contracted cutaneous anthrax, the less-serious skin form of disease -- of the disease, apparently from handling anthrax-tainted mail.

Now, last night, investigators donned hazardous material suits to investigate this building, this post office right here, and also to conduct environmental tests. Yesterday, law enforcement officials fanned out across the letter carrier's route. She handled about 250 businesses -- business and -- businesses and homes in the area.

What the FBI tells us is they checked mailboxes and mail slots. This letter carrier apparently didn't handle general collection boxes. But the FBI says they're checking everything. They're swabbing and they're analyzing those swabs for anthrax.

Now, yesterday, the director of homeland security, Tom Ridge, announced at a press conference that they'd identified a site from which one of these anthrax-tainted letters had been sent. We checked with the FBI, and what they told us, they were trying to be very clear with the information, they said that a sorting box where one of these letters may have passed through has been identified, but that this box has not been positively identified as having been tainted with anthrax. That's one of the tests that they're conducting today.

Both of these facilities are -- stay closed for the investigations. The three postal service employees, the two confirmed diagnosis with anthrax and the one likely case from Hamilton Township, these people are being treated, and they're apparently resting comfortably -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Brian Palmer, thank you so much.

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