Arafat escapes anthrax attack
2003-05-23 15:50
Cairo - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat escaped an anthrax assassination attempt three weeks ago, his national security advisor claimed in an interview with an Arabic newspaper published on Friday.
Someone mailed the veteran leader a letter containing a suspect powder, but his security services prevented it from reaching him, Hani al-Hassan told the London-based Al-Hayat daily.
"The presidential security services submitted the letter to the usual control measures before attempting to open it and discovered it contained a powder," he said.
"At first, we didn't know what kind of powder it was and we didn't waste time in having it analysed in a safe location," he said, claiming it was found to contain the deadly bacteria.
"The postal stamps showed the letter came from an Asian country," said the long-time Arafat aide and former interior minister, who noted that "all the mail for the Palestinian territories passes through Israel."
Hassan was responding to a question on whether the Palestinians were taking seriously statements by "certain Israeli officials who have evoked the assassination or exile of Arafat" following a series of suicide bombings early this week which killed a dozen people plus the bombers.
He added the Palestinian Authority was unable to investigate the source of the letter because of the restrictions imposed on the occupied territories amid the 32-month uprising against Israel.
"The vigilance of the security services prevented a real catastrophe," Hassan said, calling it the 14th time that Arafat had escaped an assassination attempt in his long career.
"I have witnessed 13 assassination attempts against President Arafat, in Beirut and other places. He escaped them all," he said.
Following the September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, powder-filled envelopes containing anthrax were mailed across the United States and killed five people.
Alerts were then recorded around the world after letters filled with a suspicious white powder were mailed to various recipients. Most turned out to be hoaxes.