In the decade since five people, including a Boca Raton man, were killed by letter-borne attacks following 9/11, a white powder that comes in the mail means only one thing to most Americans: anthrax.
That is precisely what first went through the mind of Francis “Frank” Biden, younger brother of Vice President Joe Biden, when he opened a Manila envelope sent to his Ocean Ridge home on Saturday. After a silent explosion of white dust covered his hands and forearms, he dropped the envelope and headed for a shower.
Most powder attacks, like the one on Biden, do not involve anthrax, a deadly disease caused by a bacterial agent difficult to harness as a weapon. But sending white powder in the mail has become an oft-used threat.
“My gut feeling, it probably happens all the time, usually as a dumb joke,” said Eric Ackerman, a Nova Southeastern University professor. He is South Florida chapter president of InfraGard, a terrorism watch partnership between citizens and the FBI.
“9/11 really started the trend of using powder as a scare tactic. And with the mail, people can get to you through levels of security,” said Ackerman. “But the chance of actually manufacturing anthrax is very low.”
Soon after Biden and his girlfriend were rushed to the hospital Saturday, the FBI announced that the substance sent to him was not harmful. Biden said the envelope bore a postmark from India.
An investigation into the incident continues, an FBI spokesman confirmed on Monday.
Ocean Ridge Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi said his department’s report on the Biden incident is complete but would not be released until the FBI gives the OK.
In the weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bob Stevens, 63, a photo editor with the tabloid The Sun, was the first anthrax victim. He handled a letter containing anthrax spores at work in the American Media building in Boca Raton, came down with flu-like symptoms and died on Oct. 5, 2001.
After a lengthy investigation, the FBI concluded that Bruce Ivins, an Army anthrax researcher who has since died, was responsible for mailing the letter.
Most powders sent in letters are not harmful.
Still, they represent threats, said behavioral scientist Andrea Allen, a professor at Barry University in Miami. “There is a fear factor because the powder triggers a memory of what happened with anthrax after 9/11,” she said.
“Ten or 11 years ago, you might have opened an envelope with powder and said, this is odd, and put it aside,” Allen said. “But it is no longer a neutral thing.”
Biden, who heads Mavericks High Schools, a nonprofit operator of public charter schools for at-risk teens, said he had no idea about the sender’s motive.
But he did take it as a threat, saying he followed Secret Service instructions by running to the shower.
“We all have been trained,” said Biden. “Our family has lived in a fish bowl for a long time.”
As celebrities can attest, there often is a correlation between prominence and personal threats.
Just last week, Los Angeles police reported a suspicious letter containing white powder was sent to CBS addressed to “Dancing With the Stars.” Authorities tested the substance and determined it was neither anthrax nor any other harmful substance.
National and local politicians often receive threatening packages of white powder. U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, was targeted in April. Last month a powdery package prompted the evacuation of the Volusia County courthouse in DeLand.
Noncelebrities can also be targeted for an attack by mail.
“The question to ask is, why does someone want to target you?” Ackerman said. “Is someone targeting you for a political reason, for revenge, or is there something else that drives it?”
In the Frank Biden case, those questions have yet to be answered.
Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
