Excerpts from FBI news conference on anthrax arrests

Thursday, Feb. 19, 1998 | 2 a.m.

"We took very limited information. We built upon that information. We brought all the elements together that was necessary to investigated allegations of individuals having biological agents or chemicals that could cause serious damage to our community."

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"They were charged with Title 18 of the U.S. Code Section 175 which prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possession of any biological agent, toxin or delivery system for the use as a weapon or conspiracy to do so."

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"These individuals posed a potential chemical and biological threat to our community."

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"It was suspected that these individuals were in possession of a dangerous biological chemical - anthrax."

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"Our primary concern was the safety of the community. At all times we were considering the safety of the community."

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"We completely sealed the vehicle in plastic for any contamination. We immediately took this vehicle from that scene to a safe site. We sealed off the medical center to insure that there were no contaminants in that medical center."

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"There is no evidence of any contamination anywhere in this community as a result of this investigation."

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"It is our belief that they were taking these chemicals there to conduct some type of test. Again, that is not the proper place to conduct a test and obviously some very serious consequences."

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"We're not talking about a chemical here where you get a little field test and you just have a test and say this is what it is. It has to be taken to a proper location, the proper conditions, before you can even do that. So this is not as simple as it appears."

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"I don't anticipate any more arrests."

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"I will say that an individual brought it to our attention and we act upon it."

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"We consider it to be a very dangerous biological threat."

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"There is no indication what a target might of been or even if there was a target."