[wvns] Iranian bioweapon researcher dies suspiciously

Iranian bioweapon researcher dies suspiciously

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:22:19 GMT

Dr. Nasser Talebzadeh Ordoubadi, who changed his name to Noah Mckay after a jail term, has reportedly died a suspicious death in the US.

A US-based Iranian doctor working to discover an antitoxin therapy for biological weapons has purportedly died a "suspicious death."

One of the leading bioweapon researchers and a regular keynote speaker at international conferences, Dr. Nasser Talebzadeh Ordoubadi died on Saturday in what his doctors described as a "suspicious death".

Media reports have linked Dr. Talebzadeh Ordoubadi's mysterious death to his notable accomplishments in discovering an antitoxin treatment for bioweapons.

The use of biological and chemical weapons -- which is considered illegal under The Hague convention on rules of warfare -- is feared by many experts more than the use of nuclear weapons.

Biological weapons can kill, incapacitate, or seriously impede an individual as well as entire cities or places where they are used.

While there are antibiotic and penicillin treatments for different types of bioweapons, some of them such as Botulism and Ricin still remain without any antitoxin or vaccine to cure those subjected to the poisonous weapon.

According to Tabnak, Dr. Talebzadeh's achievements in finding a cure to bioweapons had made him the target of various accusations from the government of the United States -- one of the possessors of biological weapons -- since 1992.

In 2000, the Iranian doctor was sentenced to 35 months in prison on charges of health care and mail fraud under the new HIPAA regulations (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).

His jail sentence, which prompted him to change his name to Noah McKay, came after years of government attempts to level various accusations against him.

The charges, which were never substantiated, proven or confirmed, included "money laundering, funding Middle Eastern terrorists, and connections to the Russian mafia in Seattle".

While serving in the federal prison camp in Sheridan, Oregon, he told one of his lawyers "my life is in danger and I should change my name and request transfer to another prison."

CS/MD

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