Who Was Declared A 'Person Of Interest' In The Anthrax Investigation?

No one has yet been charged or arrested in connection with the Anthrax attacks which occurred in America shortly after the attacks of September 11th. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, however, did declare that Steven Jay Hatfill, a scientist who had worked closely with the American government and military on bio-weapon projects, was a 'person of interest.' Hatfill had been a protégé of William Patrick, America's leading expert on anthrax, and aroused suspicion by having bought Cipro, an anti-anthrax drug, shortly before the attacks occurred.

Public attention focused on Hatfill as a possible suspect and he held an emotional press conference in which he proclaimed his innocence. Hatfill lost his job with a U.S. government contractor and found himself followed everywhere he went by government investigators. Forced to live under a cloud of suspicion, Hatfill found it difficult to secure employment, and, in 2003, he began legal action against the U.S. government, demanding compensation for the campaign of harassment he said it had pursued against him.