The Washington Post and Washington Times carry news reports (front page) on the Ivins suicide. There is clear evidence that the person who did the anthrax letters to the Senate knew how to handle it. Anthrax forms spores and the spores are sticky. The Soviets had a terrible, accidental exposure of the population about 30 years ago. Their problem was a filter in the biowarfare lab where they were producing “weaponized anthrax.” In anthrax, “weaponized” means the spores had been treated to dissociate them and circumvent that stickiness that causes clumping. Once done, the “weaponized anthrax” is capable of being spread in the air. The Senate anthrax appears to have been “high class” stuff, it disseminated widely.
I was amazed in the fall of 2001. I had worked in bacteriology labs on several occasions years ago—it is not my work for the past 30 years, I am an internist. But I live between Washington, DC and the Frederick lab site, so there was great interest in this topic.

I took a fresh, new envelope and ran some water into it. It held, just like the old folding paper cups at water coolers. Then I put some Equal into another of the same type of envelopes and licked and sealed the envelope. After doing that, I patted it. Within a few moments, I could actually taste the sweetness of the Equal in the air. I was surprised at that, but now I understood how the post offices had been contaminated before the envelopes had been opened.

The reports regarding the Ivins suicide seem clear that family members knew he planned to kill himself (and did).

The released reports from the FBI are very self-serving, however.
I’m not convinced so far, even with talk of the “plea bargain” given to Washington Post reporters, that this was “the man.” However, I am convinced someone most likely working in a biowarfare lab did the Senate letters.