Just the Facts? Anthrax Killer, Booming Mystery Update and al-Qaeda Debunks 9/11 Conspiracy Claims

Nancy Haigwood's career as a scientific researcher in Seattle was on the rise in 2001, when her memory of a sorority-obsessed university classmate helped lead federal investigators to the man they say was responsible for the anthrax attacks in the months following 9/11. But for the first four and a half years, her tip was low priority.

Ten years ago, anthrax-laced letters began showing up at the U.S. Capitol and news agencies in Florida and New York. The anthrax attacks in the fall of 2001 killed five people and sickened 17 others.

In the beginning, the anthrax letters seemed like the work of Islamist extremists. They were postmarked within weeks of the September 11 attacks, and the letters sent to then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Sen. Patrick Leahy declared "Death to America. Death to Israel."

But based on a recurring mixture of Arabic and English expressions in the letters ("Allah is Great") and the high quality of the anthrax spores that spilled out of the envelopes, the FBI announced in November 2001 that it was looking for a rogue insider.

The suspect was not an al Qaeda jihadist, the FBI believed, but more likely someone from within the biotech industry.

The FBI e-mailed members of the American Society for Microbiology in January 2002 asking for help. The feds suspected the anthrax mailer could be a researcher or technician with legitimate access to deadly germs and a high degree of technical knowledge.

"It is very likely that one or more of you know this individual," the FBI's e-mail said.

Out of 43,000 e-mails, only one person responded: Nancy Haigwood.

"It was as though something clicked," she said in a recent interview from her lab in Portland, Oregon where she directs one of eight National Primate Research Centers. "I just thought I might actually know the person." - Continued reading at Strange sorority fixation was link that led to anthrax suspect

The Mirage Man: Bruce Ivins, the Anthrax Attacks, and America's Rush to War

2008 Essential Guide to the Amerithrax Investigation, Department of Justice and FBI Evidence Against Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins for the Anthrax Bioterrorism Attacks in 2001 (Ringbound)

Amerithrax: The Investigation into the 2001 Anthrax Attacks, FBI Evidence Against Dr. Bruce Ivins for the Anthrax Bioterrorism Attacks, Anthrax Coverage (CD-ROM)

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It was after the birth of his daughter that Ben Emlyn-Jones started believing the world was not what it seemed.

Sixteen years on, he has created his own professional organisation dedicated to peddling his ideas – Hospital Porters Against the New World Order.

The conspiracy theorist is convinced the world is run by secret powers, the moon landings never happened, Al Qaeda was not behind 9/11 and that we live in a matrix.

“I feel a bit like Neo in The Matrix,” said Aberystwyth-born Ben.

“Morpheus says, ‘There is something wrong with the world, there is like a splinter in your mind’.

“I’ve always felt there is something wrong with the world. That something does not add up. Suspicions gradually started building up about various things. I started looking at various viewpoints. Especially on the internet.”

Ben refuses to give his age since he founded the Ageless Movement believing one’s age is “oppressive”.

And he has filmed himself chopping up his passport because he objected to the amount of information it held. “I didn’t want to be part of any Big Brother state,” he said.

Ben also has grave doubts over official accounts of the Twin Tower attacks. He is convinced it was an inside job.

“9/11 seems to be one of those incidents that could be described as a false flag attack,” he said.

These are covert ops designed to give the impression they are carried out by someone else.

“It looks to me like 9/11 was one of those because the story we have been told does not really make sense.”

Ben, brought up in Lampeter, pointed to the collapse of the often overlooked Building Seven, a World Trade Center tower that collapsed without being hit by a plane.

“It’s the third building people never talk about. It sustained moderate damage from flying rubble. But it almost turned to dust, like the others did. And it left behind a surprising amount of rubble considering the size.”

Meanwhile, the other towers did not leave enough.

“There was too much dust and not enough rubble,” Ben said.

The dad of one, who works at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, had no idea why.

“But one thing it could not have been down to was the impact of an aircraft or fire,” he insisted.

The moon landings are equally questionable.

“I would not say people have never been to the moon,” he said, adding: “People have been to the moon and still do go. But there are concerns over the photo record of the first moon landing.”

Sceptics say the pictures are false because shadows are in the wrong place. The Flat Earth Society was one of the first organisations to accuse Nasa of faking the landings.

“Some of the lighting effects don’t quite match how something would be taken in that environment,” said Ben.

UFOs are a hot topic. “I’ve never had a close encounter but I know people who have. They say things like, ‘I saw this craft up close, so close you could almost touch it’. These are people who have encountered these strange beings. Many of these people won’t speak publicly about this because they will only speak to people who take them seriously.”

Little green men might not be from other planets – “they could be from parallel worlds,” said Ben, at his terraced home.

“I have come to the conclusion that some of them may be like ghosts from parallel dimensions.”

Some aliens could be spending time making crop circles.

“One explanation for crop circles is a link to UFOs. They do appear during UFO activity. Another is the presence of glowing lights. They are often seen in the West country area where most crop circles appear.”

Ben is adamant there is a “secret world government”.

“This is something I think is the case,” he said. “They go by various names, I call them the illuminati.” - walesonline

Need to Know: UFOs, the Military, and Intelligence (See all UFOs Books)

Rockall

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I received the following email from a reader:

Hi there. I was reading on your blog today when I noticed the posting on the recent boom noises in Tennessee and it made me recall a similar experience here at my house last month on September 6th. I'd heard some noise (every pun intended) about booms on the East Coast before today, but the wires never crossed and I didn't make the connection between the reports I'd heard and the experience here. I'm almost ashamed of myself for being so slow, but better late than never, I suppose. Anyways, I was here at my house messing around on the internet and IM chatting with my girlfriend on the date of 09/06/2011 when at around 6:25-6:30 PM there came a loud, ear-splitting boom from somewhere outside. It was almost like a cannon going off, except much louder, and sounded much closer. I couldn't even pinpoint which direction it came from due to the intensity. It was more like the boom was, well, everywhere. My little brother and my aunt were both at my house at the time and were equally surprised by the sudden unknown blast. A quick search and a little common sense cross-checking with past booms ruled out most of the usual suspects. It was too loud and close to have been a transformer, plus no power disruptions. It definitely didn't sound like any sonic boom I'd ever heard, and I've never even heard one in this area. The closest thing we have to an airport is a dinky little local outfit where a handful of rich old guys get together to see how epically they can fail at flying Cessnas. While I also do wholeheartedly admit that our little backwoods town has plenty of half-drunk hillbillies with high-powered rifles, naturally I've heard more than my fair share of those too and unless said hillbillies were in my backyard with enough ordinance to make it rain deer jerky and John Deer hats for days, it likely had nothing to do with guns. I haven't made many local inquiries, mostly because I hate most of my neighbors. What few I DID make, however, have suggested that although this was the first boom I'd heard, there was at least one other boom the day before (or a few days before...the witness was...advanced in years, shall we say, to be polite). Below I have included my chat log with my girlfriend that I dug up from my yahoo messenger archive, since it was written mere minutes after the event and thus captures the moment and timeframe far better than my recollections now could do so.

Tempest (9/6/2011 6:34:18 PM): There was a really loud boom just now here. It almost sounded like a transformer blowing, except much louder. when the transformer blows right next to the house it isn't that loud. did you hear anything there?
Brittany (9/6/2011 6:34:38 PM): Nope, didn't hear anything. Wonder what it could have been?
Tempest (9/6/2011 6:36:05 PM): No idea. It sounded like a cannon going off, or maybe a super high powered rifle. the strange part is with either it would have had to have been within radius that I could look out the window and see something with that kind of decibel volume but there's nothing of note outside.
Brittany (9/6/2011 6:36:30 PM): And if it were a transformer, you all likely wouldn't have power
Tempest (9/6/2011 6:37:33 PM): Correct. And even the closest transformer, next to David's trailer, doesn't sound that loud when it blows. this shook the windows.
Brittany (9/6/2011 6:37:59 PM): That's really, really strange. :/
Tempest (9/6/2011 6:38:43 PM): It didn't sound like a sonic boom from a jet either. those are very distinct and I'm pretty sure its illegal for the air force do so so over residential areas.
Brittany (9/6/2011 6:39:10 PM): I don't even have any ideas of what it could have been.
Tempest (9/6/2011 6:39:35 PM): No clue. Ah well. It was fun while it lasted.

During the archive keyword searching I used to dig up the above chatlog, I also found another instance that happened to my girlfriend a few months ago we had both forgotten about till now as well. Oddly dated on 6/09/2011

Brittany (6/9/2011 5:13:55 PM): It's thundering here.
Tempest (6/9/2011 5:14:06 PM): Same here
Brittany (6/9/2011 5:14:34 PM): Fun stuff...
Brittany (6/9/2011 5:14:54 PM): It sounds weird though.I dunno. Just really strange.
Brittany (6/9/2011 5:24:07 PM): Internet went out.
Tempest (6/9/2011 5:24:14 PM): What exactly does it sound like?
Brittany (6/9/2011 5:24:33 PM): Oh, I dunno... it was a loud boom rather than a rumble.
Brittany (6/9/2011 5:24:54 PM): And not a 'crack' noise like it was right over us or something. I dunno. It was weird.

No idea if its connected with the boom here or the other booms reported in TN, but she lives in Bland, VA. Bland County is Northeast of Smyth County, where I live. She doesn't remember much more than what's said above about her experience, but feels strongly that it was not a normal part of the thunderstorm. Let me clarify that although she mentions a storm with her experience, the boom here was not accompanied by anything more than a mildly overcast sky. I live in Atkins, Virginia, by the way. Its the location of the first report I've described above, at my house. Mapquest tells me its around 2.45-3 hours from the Tennessee booms.

I personally feel like there's something more to all of this. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but I feel like the booms and the recent east coast earthquake might be interconnected, quite possibly with something larger. Like maybe the earthquake wasn't a typical earthquake caused by the typical tectonic forces. Like maybe the earthquake and the booms are coming from the same source. Its pure conjecture and fancy on my part, of course...its just that something smells...off. I'm hoping by making this report, and along with any other reports received, it might help put together more pieces of the puzzle. For instance if the source of the booms happens to be...moving...or something (albeit rather slowly) then with enough reports on certain dates it might be possible to plot a linear path for its former/current locations. Again MANY assumptions with little but a few overly loud noises to back it up. I'd be really grateful if you could pass on any more reports or information on these booms in my general area if/when it becomes available.

I also ran into this article in my message archive while looking for the logs to send you. I must have made note of it sometime in the past before most of this started, as I do have more than a middling interest in strange things even remotely local, so I'll pass this on as well.

Mystery boom rattles parts of Virginia

It might be the case that I'm barking up the wrong tree entirely and the booms have to do with something else entirely (probably something depressingly normal, at that). If so, I don't mind. The wild blue yonder is a fun place to be, I suppose.

NOTES: I have received several emails over the past month (since the east coast earthquake) referencing this phenomena. Most have come from Virginia. I live west of Baltimore, MD...there have been a few strange noises and rumbles detected here as well. Lon

Earthshaking Science: What We Know (and Don't Know) about Earthquakes (See all Seismology Books)

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In a surprising twist, terrorist group al-Qaeda recently issued a statement ridiculing 9/11 conspiracy theories claiming U.S. involvement in the attacks.

The victims and the perpetrator of the terrorism are both saying that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda acted alone and without any knowledge or support from the American government. The statement came in response to a speech that the Iranian President gave at the U.N. General Assembly in which he repeated his claim that the U.S. masterminded the terrorism. As ABC News reported last week,

"The terror group al-Qaeda has found itself curiously in agreement with the "Great Satan"--which it calls the U.S. -- in issuing a stern message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: stop spreading 9/11 conspiracy theories. In the latest issue of the al Qaeda English-language magazine Inspire, an author appears to take offense to the "ridiculous" theory repeatedly spread by Ahmadinejad that the 9/11 terror attacks were actually carried out by the U.S. government in order to provide a pretext to invade the Middle East. "The Iranian government has professed on the tongue of its president Ahmadinejad that it does not believe that al Qaeda was behind 9/11 but rather, the U.S. government," an article reads. "So we may ask the question: why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?"

If anyone in the world would have hard evidence of American collusion in carrying out the September 11, 2001, attacks (and strong motivation for making it public), it would be al-Qaeda. If the conspiracy claims are true, al-Qaeda would have no reason to deny that America helped organize and carry out the attacks. It would call into question the American government’s credibility in a way that various ad hoc conspiracy theorists could never hope to, and forever tarnish America’s political and moral legitimacy.

Of course terrorism has fueled many conspiracy theories. Earlier this year, conspiracies circulated that Osama bin Laden had not actually been killed by American commandos. I wrote a column about it, pointing out that the best proof that bin Laden is dead is that he hasn’t been seen since his death was announced by President Obama. If bin Laden is alive, what better way to embarrass and discredit the United States than to make a smiling public appearance? In fact, not only has bin Laden not emerged from hiding since his (alleged) killing in May, but al-Qaeda itself publicly acknowledged that bin Laden was killed.

The fact that al-Qaeda has denied that America had any role in the attacks strikes a heavy blow to the already shaky credibility of the “Truther” movement and other 9/11 conspiracy theorists. They must not only explain the stark lack of evidence implicating the American government in the attacks, but also explain why America’s longtime sworn enemy would deny U.S. involvement if it were true.

When investigation after investigation finds no American involvement in the attacks, conspiracy-minded folks can dismiss the findings by saying that it’s all part of the cover up. But when a group of ruthless terrorists like al-Qaeda (who everyone acknowledges actually committed the attacks regardless of who gave the orders) questions the logic and evidence behind the conspiracy claims, that’s a sign that your conspiracy arguments and theories are in deep trouble.

Part of the reason that conspiracy theories linger is that any contradictory evidence -- no matter how conclusive or compelling—can just be dismissed by claiming that it’s part of the cover-up. There is ultimately no evidence that would satisfy most conspiracy theorists. Those who distrust the government will use any excuse to support their beliefs, logical or not. Conspiracy theorists prefer complex mysteries over simple truths, and find mystery where none exists. - discovery

The U.S. vs. Al Qaeda: A History of the War on Terror

Extreme Prejudice: The Terrifying Story of the Patriot Act and the Cover Ups of 9/11 and Iraq (See all Espionage Books)

The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions And Distortions (See all 21st Century US History Books)

The War on Truth: 9/11, Disinformation and the Anatomy of Terrorism (See all 21st Century US History Books)

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10/2/2011 - unedited: My wife and I were on our way home from grabbing dinner around 8:30PM on October 2, 2011. We took our exit off of Interstate 10 to Sjolander Road. As I was pulling up to the stop sign to Sjolander my wife noticed some strange lights to the east south east. We observed a dark object with three bright white lights in the shape of a triangle.

This craft was approximately a mile away, maybe less. It was hovering slightly above the tree tops from our angle. As we turned south on to Sjolander we noticed the object, which was initially hovering horizontally started to position itself vertically. It was the strangest thing we've ever seen. So, as we were traveling south on Sjolander we started to lose sight of the object through the trees.

Right before we lost sight I noticed a low flying helicopter with its search lights on, going in the direction of the craft. This really got us curious and we decided to see what was really going on. So we headed east on to Archer Road occasionally seeing the lights through the trees and observing a few more helicopters coming into the area.

We decided to get back on I-10 from Sjolander so that we'd have a better vantage point. We were heading east towards Highway 146. This is where it gets strange. We no longer saw the object but from our new found vantage point we saw a dozen, possibly more helicopters with search lights on. They were flying in threes and were in every direction. We then pulled over to a gas station off I-10 and 146 to watch the helicopters.

We changed seats and I let my wife drive as we headed home. I noticed the helicopters would break formation and have one fly over an area to search then return to formation. We exited and were at the stop sign on Sjolander again when a helicopter flew right above us, no more the 80 feet on the ground. It was close enough to blind us with its light. It then flew off to the south west over a field. Then we returned home.

The three lights we saw prior to the helicopters was an object we've never seen and we could distinguish the two from one another. Just looking for answers and wondering if anyone else noticed this strange occurrence in Baytown. - MUFON CMS