WASHINGTON - The anthrax mailings in the United States are probably the work of a man who is familiar with hazardous material, has little contact with other people and who may have a grudge against the recipients, says the FBI.
In a fresh appeal for help in solving the case, FBI
officials have released a profile of the suspected mailer developed by the behavioural experts.
The profile does not address the question of whether the person is foreign or from the US.
FBI officials said the person might work in a laboratory and "is apparently comfortable working with extremely hazardous material. He probably has a scientific background to some extent, or at least a strong interest in science."
The person "did not select his victims randomly", making the effort to find a correct address and postal code of each victim and ensuring that the proper postage was used.
The targets - NBC, the New York Post and the Senate majority leader Tom Daschle - were selected because they "are probably very important to the offender."The person who mailed the letters "lacks the personal skills necessary to confront others," suggesting he may have held a grudge against the targets for a long time.
Meanwhile, tests have found anthrax contamination in three more sites in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, which has been closed since October 17.
The building was closed two days after discovery of the anthrax bacterium in a letter mailed to Daschle.
Twenty-eight people, most Daschle staff workers, tested positive for exposure to the potentially deadly spores but none has become ill.
The new sites apparently were related to the letter sent to Daschle.
- REUTERS
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