Anthrax Suspect Lied to Get Jobs

The man at the centre of the investigation into the post-9/11 anthrax attacks in the US faked a UK medical degree and membership of the Royal Society of Medicine, to fool his way into a job at America's highest security bio-defence installation.

Dr Steven Jay Hatfill was named last August by US Attorney General John Ashcroft as as the only 'person of interest' in the investigation and now lives under 24-hour surveillance by the FBI. Five people were killed as a result of coming into contact with anthrax spores sent through the post.

Hatfill, a former researcher at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland, denies he is the anthrax killer. The US authorities have found no evidence to link Hatfill to the crimes and he has not been charged.

The Observer has discovered that the cancer specialist and bio-terror expert claimed he had a medical degree from Edinburgh on CVs used to apply for jobs in the US. He also said he was a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society of Medicine. The Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh had no record of Hatfill qualifying as doctor in 1984, as claimed on his CV. His medical degree is from Zimbabwe, where he qualified in the same year.

Rosamund Snow, RSM spokeswoman, said : 'He is not on our books, nor has he applied to be.'

The Observer investigation, carried out with the New York current affairs magazine Seed found that Hatfill had fabricated large portions of his CV, including claims of serving in the Rhodesian SAS and researching for Nasa's Solar System Exploration Division.

Hatfill's spokesman Pat Clawson said: 'Dr Steven Hatfill is not the anthrax mailer. He is a scientist and physician who has devoted his career to preserving life, not destroying it. Legal considerations prevent him from responding to specific issues about his personal background and professional credentials.'