Scientist settles anthrax mailing suit for $5.82m

Washington: The former army scientist who for years was the prime suspect in the deadly 2001 anthrax mailings agreed on Friday to take $5.82 million (Dh21.4 million) from the Justice Department to settle his claim that the government invaded his privacy and ruined his career.

Dr Steven Hatfill, 54, called a "person of interest" in the case by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2002, said that repeated leaks of investigative details to the media damaged his reputation.

Anxious atmosphere

For months in the anxious atmosphere following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Hatfill was subjected to 24-hour surveillance and identified as the leading suspect in the nation's first bioterrorism attack.

However, he was never arrested or charged, and a federal judge presiding over his lawsuit said recently that there "is not a scintilla of evidence" linking him to the mailings.

Former federal prosecutors knowledgeable about the investigation said the government's payout signifies that, in all likelihood, he will never be charged.

A spokesman for the Justice Department said the anthrax case "remains among the department's highest law enforcement priorities."

He also said that by agreeing to settle the lawsuit, the government "does not admit to any violation of the Privacy Act and continues to deny all liability in connection with Dr Hatfill's claims."