Extremely disturbing. A Chicago man with a history of mental illness is (thankfully) in federal custody after allegedly sending Barack Obama and Rahm Emmanuel—seen above in the Oval Office—envelopes smeared with HIV-infected blood nwith the hopes of killing or harming them.
The envelopes were mailed in late December. The Chicago Sun-Times quotes a criminal complaint filed in January by federal prosecutors that names Saad Hussein, an Ethiopian refugee. Hussein told investigators "he cut his fingers with a razor to bleed on the letter for Obama."
"Saad stated he is very sick with HIV [confirmed by his brother, Abdulaziz] and it was his way of seeking help from the government," the criminal complaint said.
The interview with investigators happened on Dec. 29, a day after a Springfield government building went on lockdown after an employee at the Illinois Department of Revenue’s Aging Unit opened a suspicious envelope.
The envelope contained a two-page note with writing and “orange and reddish stains,” a color photo of Hussein taken in Ethiopia, an admission ticket for the Nov. 4 election night party in Grant Park, six index cards with “reddish stains” and a Christmas card, the complaint said.
FOX News reports days after sending the letter, the troubled man sent a "similar letter with what appeared to be dried blood" to then-Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, who is now the president's chief of staff.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says this is only the second time HIV-infected blood has been deliberately sent with malicious intent through the mail system. Let's hope this is the last.
Saad Hussein is obviously a very disturbed man. Surely there are easier, less threatening ways to cry for help than sending HIV-tainted blood through the mail. What's really baffling about this case is that the defendant claims to be an "admirer" of Barack Obama. With friends like these ...
Man Claims Blood on Letter was HIV [Sun Times]
Chicago Man Arrested Allegedly Targeting Obama [FOX]
OMG
This is not even funny
Posted by: d | 27 February 2009 at 11:49
**speechless**
Posted by: Macy | 27 February 2009 at 11:55
If he were seeking help from the government.... I don't think this was the right way to go about it.
Posted by: Ensign | 27 February 2009 at 11:56
and of course the man is an arab, let the conspiracy theories begin
Posted by: BL | 27 February 2009 at 12:00
He knew he would go to jail. He must have done it to get medical care .
Desperate people needing health care
Posted by: TB | 27 February 2009 at 12:02
@ BL:
Ethiopians are not "Arabs."
They are a distinct culture and people. They are also not caucasian but African or black or whatever you call it now.
Let's just say the man is sick and needs help.
Posted by: Geoff | 27 February 2009 at 12:09
Lord have mercy ... this is gonna be a long four years ...
Posted by: S. Flemming | 27 February 2009 at 13:00
A black president is that threatening to the world.
Unbelievable!
Posted by: Anti-believer | 27 February 2009 at 13:32
Forgive my ignorance - but that doesn't really do anything, right? I mean, once HIV-infected blood meets oxygen, it dies. Right? Or is this just a wrong theory I had in my mind for the longest while?
Posted by: Confused | 28 February 2009 at 02:05
ditto to confused.
The man was disturbed, but I don't think what he did was any more dangerous than if he had exposed himself on the Mall outside the White House lawn.
Posted by: Mark | 01 March 2009 at 14:23
There I go again hitting the send button too soon.
Of course I meant to say that a piece of paper with some dried blood on it is not dangerous. As a person with HIV myself, it struck a nerve that someone might think it was. But obviously it does need to be taken seriously as an implied threat against the President.
Posted by: Mark | 01 March 2009 at 14:44
Mark I'm sympathetic to your situation but this is a problem. The "intent" was to cause fear or harm. It's against law to knowingly attempt to transmit HIV or infect someone. That was the intent here. Its also against the law to threaten federal employees or the president. This definitely qualifies.
Surely you are not suggesting someone should be allowed to randomly send HIV tainted blood through the mail? What about a test tube or controlled sample? Or perhaps walk up to someone and splash them with the blood? It's basically the same thing, or at least the law is treating it the same way.
I don't think scientists can say with 100% certainty there was absolutely no danger in this. Maybe there could have been other opportunistic airborne infections, TB etc.
Posted by: Chris Cruz | 01 March 2009 at 15:02
The Sun-Times article, as noted above, had an extensive history of mental illness and even the prosecutors did not beleive his intentions to be malicious. This should be regarded as the sad case of a mentally disturbed and physically ill person crying out for help. Hopefully the purpose of prosecution will be to provide for preventing his further harm of himself or anyone else and not for retribution. May our prayers go with him.
Posted by: anteil | 02 March 2009 at 11:48