Fourteen Arrested in Anthrax Hoaxes

ByABC News
October 29, 2001, 1:32 PM

— -- The Sept. 11 terror attacks had a profound impact on the United States, and the effects are still rippling across American society in large and small ways. Here is a periodic wrap-up of some of them.

Postal Inspectors Make Fourteen Arrests in Anthrax-Related Hoaxes

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 27

Postal inspectors have arrested 14 people inanthrax-related hoaxes and say they are actively pursuing othercases.

Inspectors are dealing with "an unbelievable amount of hoaxesand threats and suspicious letters" in the wake of the mailedcases in Florida, New York, Washington and New Jersey.

"The anthrax threats are not really something new for us,"Postal Inspector Dan Mihalko said Saturday, citing a rash of 178cases in 1999 and 2000 targeting abortion clinics.

There had been about 60 cases of anthrax, hoof and mouth andsimilar threats this year before Sept. 11, Mihalko said. In thelast two weeks, he said, inspectors have investigated 6,305incidents.

In many cases inspectors or local police are called becausesomeone is suspicious of a letter, he said. It usually turns out tobe nothing, but people are being encouraged to contact authoritiesif they find something suspicious. Post cards have been sent toevery home describing what people should be wary of.

Turning to the hoaxes, Mihalko said there have been 14 arrestsso far with prosecution authorized in nine other cases and two morepending.

"The message that we're trying to get out is this, if you'regoing to screw around with us, particularly at this time, we'regoing to do everything we can to get you prosecuted," he said.

Mihalko said the arrests have been scattered around the countryand involved people in various age groups.

"It's not just juvenile type stuff," he added, "it's run arange of ages and backgrounds. Some people are using this as anopportunity to try to scare somebody or try to resolve pastdifferences."

The Associated Press

Funeral Held for Second Postal Worker Killed by Anthrax