Hatfill Wrote Novel About Bioterrorism

A draft novel by a scientist under scrutiny in the anthrax investigation describes a biological attack by a Palestinian terrorist on the White House and Congress, but the plot differs significantly from last fall’s attacks.

The novel by Dr. Steven J. Hatfill has raised suspicions at the FBI, though the story involves neither anthrax nor mailings. It does, however, contain some on-target observations about how the nation would react to bioterrorism.

The agent used in the attacks is the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which causes bubonic plague. It is first released in the White House through sprayers in a wheelchair, sickening the president and later members of Congress. The villain is a Palestinian funded by Iraq.

Titled “Emergence,” the 198-page unfinished novel is on file at the U.S. Copyright Office. It was registered in 1998 by Roger Akers, a friend of Hatfill’s who said Tuesday that he proofread it for Hatfill and, with his permission, copyrighted it in both of their names.

The FBI also has a copy of the novel. On Tuesday, a law enforcement official called it an “interesting coincidence at this point.”

Law enforcement officials say Hatfill, a biowarfare expert, is one of about 30 “persons of interest” in the investigation of last fall’s attacks, which killed five people. On Sunday, Hatfill denied he had any involvement in the attacks.