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Bush calls anthrax letters the `second wave' of terrorism

Calling the recent anthrax cases "a second wave of terrorist attacks" on the US, President George W. Bush yesterday praised Americans for their calm and vowed to share credible information.

His message came a day after another case was found in New York, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said an editor at the New York Post newspaper had become the 17th person in the US infected with the rare anthrax bacteria.

With his administration under fire for sending mixed messages and being slow to protect postal workers after anthrax-laced letters were discovered, Bush devoted his weekly radio address to laying out the facts so far.

"As we learn more about these anthrax attacks, the government will share the confirmed and credible information we have with you," Bush said. "I'm proud of our citizens' calm and reasoned response to this ongoing terrorist attack."

Anthrax-tainted letters were mailed to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, NBC News in New York and the New York Post newspaper, and four people have died -- two Washington postal workers, a photo editor in Florida and a hospital storeroom clerk in New York.

Bush said there was no precedent for the biological attack and praised health officials for acting quickly to distribute antibiotics to those who may have been exposed and swiftly testing post offices and other sites for anthrax spores.

"We are working to protect people based on the best information available," he said.

But criticism has mounted over the administration's handling of the anthrax scare after the deadly bacteria were discovered in the letter to Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat.

While congressional aides and some lawmakers were tested and treated for possible anthrax exposure almost immediately, authorities waited nearly a week to start testing postal workers at the Brentwood facility, which processes mail for the US Capitol and other Washington areas.

Originally experts said they believed anthrax spores could not escape from sealed envelopes, but Bush said yesterday, "Now we know differently ... anthrax apparently can be transferred from one letter to another or from a letter to mail sorting equipment."

FBI Director Robert Mueller said on Friday investigators were moving very aggressively to find out who was behind the 17 confirmed cases of anthrax in the past month.

"We are pursuing more than 1,000 leads, including more than 100 that have taken us overseas. We have conducted more than 2,000 interviews to date in that investigation," he said.

The thrust of the investigation was focused on Trenton, New Jersey, where three anthrax-tainted letters were mailed.

"Despite speculation about the possible source of the anthrax and the motive for the attacks, nothing yet has been ruled out and we continue to follow the evidence wherever it may lead," Mueller said.

Pakistan's government, meanwhile, appeared in confusion yesterday about reported anthrax attacks, with President Pervez Musharraf confirming two incidents but seemingly unaware an official statement had already expressed doubts.

"I'm told there was exposure but no infection -- two confirmed exposures," Musharraf said.

"Let me tell you, with so many problems we don't consider it such a serious problem as it is considered maybe in the United States. I haven't gone into the details," he said at a brief news conference called to discuss Afghan refugee policy.

He had turned for guidance to chief government spokesman Major-General Rashid Qureshi, who was repeating his comments from Friday in which he also said there were two reports of anthrax exposure.

Qureshi again said one of the confirmed cases was the Daily Jang -- contradicting a formal government statement issued on Friday night expressing scepticism about an anthrax attack on the Karachi-based Urdu-language newspaper.

The government statement had said previous reports of anthrax attacks had proved to be hoaxes.
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