|
Hatfill sues over probe { August 26 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48413-2003Aug26.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48413-2003Aug26.html
Hatfill Sues U.S. Over Anthrax Probe
By SAM HANANEL
The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 26, 2003; 2:26 PM
WASHINGTON - The bioterrorism expert under scrutiny in the 2001 anthrax attacks filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Attorney General John Ashcroft and other government officials of trampling his constitutional rights and using him as a scapegoat for their failure to make an arrest in the case.
Dr. Steven J. Hatfill claims that, by labeling him a "person of interest" in the case, Ashcroft and other federal authorities have destroyed his reputation and ruined his job prospects.
"Mr. Ashcroft acted to protect both his department's and his own political future and public image at the expense of Dr. Hatfill's constitutional rights," said the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.
The lawsuit also said Hatfill is under constant surveillance, leaving him unable to freely talk to his girlfriend, family or friends.
Hatfill is seeking unspecified damages from Ashcroft, the Justice Department, the FBI and other current and former FBI and Justice Department officials.
The FBI had no immediate comment.
The Washington FBI office is leading the probe of the October 2001 attacks in which anthrax-laced envelopes were sent to government and media offices. Five people died and 17 others sickened.
Hatfill has denied any involvement.
Law enforcement officials have said he is not a suspect and that no evidence links him to the letters. But he is the only publicly disclosed person of interest in the case.
Hatfill once worked as a researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. The facility housed the strain of anthrax found in the envelopes sent to the victims.
Since June 2001, investigators have searched Hatfill's Frederick apartment multiple times, as well as a storage unit in Florida and his girlfriend's resident. Nothing linking him to the attacks has been found.
Last May, Hatfill was struck by a vehicle being driven by an FBI employee who was tailing him in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood. Hatfill was not seriously injured. In addition, Hatfill claimed his conversations are monitored.
The surveillance is a violation of Hatfill's privacy rights, according to the lawsuit, which also claims federal officials intentionally leaked false and misleading information about Hatfill to the media.
© 2003 The Associated Press
|
|
