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Netflix's upcoming crime documentary titled The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 is centered around the outbreak of anthrax in the US shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda.
The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 will drop on September 8, 2022, and will follow the FBI investigation into what was termed as one of the biggest instances of bio-terrorism in America.
The documentary will feature a collection of interviews and scripted reenactments, according to Netflix, based on the FBI's notes on the case. It will also share the stories of investigators, survivors, and families of those infected.
The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 is a crime documentary that was helmed by the Oscar-nominated director Dan Krauss, who has also worked on Extremis and The Kill Team.
The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 features the following actors:
- Clark Gregg
- Regan Burns
- Brigitte Kali Canales
- Tongayi Chirisa
- Peri Gilpin
- John Redlinger
- Derek Phillips
- Chris Johnson
Read on to learn five things you need to know before you watch The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11.
5 things to know about the Anthrax attacks of 2001 before The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11
1) Initially, 9/11 mastermind Al-Qaeda and Iraq were suspected of executing the attack
The 2001 anthrax attack, also known as Amerithrax, took place in the US in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that witnessed the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City. It also caused damage to the American defense headquarters of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and also led to the crash of an airliner in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Due to its timing, the event was blamed on terror outfit Al-Qaeda, who executed the 9/11 attacks, and Iraq for bioterrorism. Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to media offices and political leaders with messages that indicated an extension of terrorism in the US.
The Netflix documentary, The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 takes off from this point on.
2) The attack was restricted to media personnel and political leaders
According to records, the attack was executed in two phases. The first set of anthrax-contaminated letters is believed to have been mailed to the offices of media houses such as ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and the New York Post, all located in New York City.
They were also sent to the National Enquirer at American Media, Inc. (AMI) in Boca Raton, Florida. The second set of letters was mailed to Democratic Senators Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
At least 22 people were reportedly infected by anthrax, of which five died. The casualties included AMI photojournalist Robert K. "Bob" Stevens, who was also the first victim of the anthrax attack, two employees of an American mail facility, and two others whose source of exposure is still unknown.
The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 shows several officials, as well as the then US President, speaking about the incident, with one individual telling the media, "I am not the anthrax killer."
3) FBI questioned suspects from within the system
As a matter of national security, the case of the anthrax attacks was rightfully handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Apart from linking it to terror outfits, the FBI's focus turned to two individuals from their own soil - Steven Hatfill and Bruce Edwards Ivins.
While Hatfill is a bioweapons expert, Ivins was a scientist at the government's biodefense lab. Hatfill's name sprung up first in the case, but he was later exonerated.
Ivins was named the sole culprit by the FBI after an investigation found a vial of anthrax in his lab. However, Ivins died by suicide in July 2008, a week after federal prosecutors submitted their case.
The FBI's investigation was questioned and reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences in the 2011 report titled 'Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters'. The report alleged that there was insufficient evidence to suggest Ivins' involvement in the case.
However, the FBI maintained their ground and in a response statement, said that the investigation was carried out on two fronts: A traditional investigation, involving tracking leads and conducting interviews, and a scientific one, led by the FBI Lab and included scientists from outside of law enforcement. The bureau formally closed its investigation in February 2010.
4) The FBI destroyed the anthrax archive at Iowa State University
The FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) permitted Iowa State University to destroy the Iowa anthrax archive in 2001. Consequently, anthrax spores collected over decades and stored in more than 100 vials at the university were destroyed. Experts believe the step eliminated crucial evidence that could have come in handy in the investigation.
It remains to be seen if the Netflix documentary, The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11, will address this event.
5) The FBI's theory on Bruce Edward Ivins aka Bob Ivins
The FBI ascertained that Bob Ivins was the mastermind behind the anthrax attack after it was determined that the spores in the letters were derived from a batch of the Ames strain of anthrax that had been created and maintained by Dr. Ivins at USAMRIID.
As part of the evidence recovered from Ivins' place in 2007, the FBI found "numerous items of interest, including a large collection of letters that Dr. Ivins had sent to members of Congress and the media over the late 20 years – including one sent to NBC News in 1987 at the same address for NBC used in the Brokaw letter."
The FBI also recovered three handguns, two stun guns, a taser, an electronic detection device, computer snooping software, and evidence that portions of the basement were being used as a firing range.
In a press statement, several officials associated with the investigation added that a possible reason behind Ivins' anthrax attack could have been the failure of an anthrax vaccine that he was working on in 2001.
FBI officials also highlighted Ivins' history of mental health conditions as a contributing factor to his actions, in addition to the late expert's long hours at the labs "where the flask of spores and production equipment were stored." Ivins' role is played by Clark Gregg in The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11.
The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 will stream on Netflix on September 8.
