Professor Carried Germ Samples on Airlines
The Texas Tech University researcher accused of lying to the FBI about missing vials of plague bacteria repeatedly carried live samples of the germ aboard commercial airliners.
Thomas Butler’s attorney, Floyd Holder, said the professor at the Lubbock university imported plague about 60 times over the last 30 years, but said his method of transporting the specimens was “absolutely safe.”
Holder said he believes federal authorities probably will file additional charges against Butler, accusing him of failing to go through proper channels in importing live plague samples.
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