But what is more intriguing to the FBI is the source of the tip in the first place. NEWSWEEK has learned that the tipster was an acquaintance of Hatfill’s; agents searched the pond after interviewing the friend, who relayed a provocative conversation he’d had with the bioweapons researcher. Hatfill, the source told the bureau, was questioning the FBI’s current theory of the case, that whoever manufactured the anthrax would have needed access to sophisticated equipment and a lab. He said the toxic bacteria could be made in the woods and the evidence could be tossed “in a lake.” When agents found the box in the Frederick pond, they thought they had a eureka moment. The FBI tested the box for residue of anthrax bacilli, and at first got a positive result. But subsequent tests have been negative. (It is possible that the spores would wash off underwater.) Investigators still have no physical evidence linking Hatfill, or anyone else, to the crime. Hatfill’s lawyer, Tom Connolly, would not comment on the discovery of the box or his clients’s alleged conversation. “Dr. Hatfill had nothing to do with the anthrax attacks. Period,” Connolly told NEWSWEEK. Next month the FBI may drain the entire pond in hopes of finding new evidence. One item agents might be looking for: a wet suit that could have been used and disposed of by the anthrax attacker.
