Court documents may give us some insight as to why the government doggedly went after the wrong suspect, scientist Steven Hatfill, for so many years.
By Jesse J. Holland
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday ordered the Justice Department to release the information it used to persuade the courts to let it search the home of a former Army scientist who was exonerated in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said the government’s search warrants and supporting documents relating to former Army scientist Stephen Hatfill and his then-girlfriend Peck Chegne should be made public.
The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times asked for the materials to be released, contending the public has a right to know why investigators wanted to search Hatfill’s home and on what basis the courts agreed to allow those searches.
“The anthrax investigation was one of the most complex, time-consuming and expensive investigations in recent history,” Lamberth said. “As a result, the American citizens have a legitimate interest in observing and understanding how and why the investigation progressed in the way that it did.”
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