FBI defends anthrax probe

Federal authorities defended their investigation into the 2001 anthrax deaths, arguing that the nearly seven-year probe had undergone rigorous scientific review and helped create a new field of molecular forensics.

The FBI acknowledged that they made mistakes, including tossing out what could have been a key piece of evidence. But officials strongly defended the science used to link the attacks that killed five people to Army microbiologist Bruce E. Ivins.