The Anthrax Attacks documentary revisits the FBI’s investigation of the late Dr. Bruce Ivins, who was allegedly behind the mail bioterrorism attacks that took place following the events of Sept. 11. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor Clark Gregg portrays Ivins in the film’s reenactments, which are based on Ivins’ emails and FBI field notes.
The Anthrax Attacks will be released Sept. 8.
Dr. Bruce Ivins
Ivins was a Department of Defense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) who was suspected of orchestrating the anthrax attacks. An eccentric but well-respected worker in the biodefense community, Ivins was a microbiologist, vaccinologist and one of the world’s leading experts on anthrax. When FBI agents started zeroing in on Ivins as the potential culprit, they found evidence that Ivins had several mental health issues, such as alternate personas and paranoid delusions. As the investigation wore on, Ivins’ emotional well-being significantly worsened, reportedly contributing to his death by suicide in 2008. The investigation officially wrapped two years later.
Paul Keim
One of America’s most distinguished scientists, Paul Keim and his colleague Ivins were part of a small, elite group of scientists who worked with anthrax. Keim was critical to helping the FBI identify which labs the anthrax spores might’ve originated from. He initially suspected al-Qaida — until his analysis showed that the strain matched exactly with one that originated in American laboratories.
Brad Garrett
FBI agent Brad Garrett and his colleagues began the investigation with nothing to go on, he says: They had no idea who sent the letters and no leads or clues. The FBI worried this was a second wave of the terrorists attacks that begin with 9/11 and that more letters would arrive as the weeks went on. After initially eliminating Ivins as a suspect, the FBI worked closely with him to help find the culprit.
Casey Chamberlain
An NBC news assistant and anchor Tom Brokaw’s aide at the time, Casey Chamberlain was one of the first people to be exposed to anthrax after the letters were sent to news stations around the country. When Chamberlain opened an envelope at her New York City office addressed to Brokaw, she saw a granular substance and a cryptic note inside. Nearly two weeks later, she began having symptoms of anthrax inhalation.
Jeffrey Adamovicz
A scientist who worked at USAMRIID’s bacteriology division, Jeffrey Adamovicz thought his colleague Ivins had some eccentricities, but these were overshadowed by his worldwide reputation as an anthrax expert. Ivins was extremely well-regarded — he wasn’t aloof or withdrawn, Adamovicz says, but working in a lab where the spores may have originated, he and his colleagues had an inkling someone they worked with might get accused of committing the attacks.
Vince Lisi
FBI agent Vince Lisi knew once the investigation began that whoever committed this act of bioterrorism was someone with an extensive scientific background and access to deadly spores. One of the challenges they had, Lisi says, was relying on the scientific community to help with the investigation: At first, the FBI knew it could’ve been any one of them, each with a wealth of technical information not easily distilled to law enforcement.
Dena Briscoe
When postal worker Dena Briscoe saw the news that Sen. Tom Daschle received one of the deadly letters, it hit especially close to home — she worked in a Maryland facility that sorted all mail heading to Washington, D.C. Despite law enforcement eventually identifying exposure in their building, the postal employees were told it was still safe to go to work. It wasn’t — and two of her colleagues later died of exposure.
Terrell Worrell
Postal workers like Terrell Worrell saw investigative teams wearing hazmat gear from head to toe at the mail sorting facility but were told not to worry about safety — nor to wear protective equipment. His ongoing health issues caused by anthrax exposure did not count among the government’s tally of 17 total illnesses.
Clark Gregg as Dr. Bruce Ivins
Clark Gregg portrays Ivins in the documentary’s reenactments. Gregg is best known for his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Agent Phil Coulson, which he played in the films Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers and Captain Marvel and in the series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and What If...?
