Irshad Shaikh
Appearances
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
They are in suits, and I think one of them had an FBI badge.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
We thought this was just a serious misunderstanding and nothing else. And then city solicitor came down and the mayor, and she said, the mayor has advised me to have an attorney. And we said, why an attorney? We didn't do anything. She said, this is United States. Half of the FBI field office from Washington is at your home.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
They had made a sort of a camp outside our home in that small garden that we had. And they were, you know, hauling things from inside and testing them. And they had my wife in those plastic handcuffs.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
I sat down in my chair and I thought, this is it. This is, I'm done.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
They had questions about 9-11 and anthrax, what I was doing in Pakistan, what I knew, what we do, and how long we have been here.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
His father and my father were friends. They worked in the same government department. So, you know, it was that sort of a friendship and brotherhood.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
I'm cooperating fully. Whatever the question they had, I answered.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
I teach in public health and I teach health information systems, nothing clinical at all. But they were trying to ask me about my knowledge of anthrax. And I said, I have no idea. But of course, I'm a medical doctor. So we did read about cutaneous anthrax, but I've never even seen a case.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
And as I opened the door... In the reception or lobby of my office, there are at least 50 to 60 reporters, and tak, tak, tak, tak, tak. And I said, oh my God.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
Honestly, if I think it ever happened to me again, maybe I will have a heart attack. But really, I do not know how we survived it.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
I would land, people would take things from the overhead bin, and then the pilot would announce, I knew the drill, please go back to your seats. Every passenger go back to your seat. Customs want to come on the plane. They would come on the plane, haul me away from the plane in front of 400 people. And everybody would think, wow, this guy was a terse. He was sitting just next to me.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
I can say, you know, I'm honored, proud to be calling myself a U.S. citizen.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
They broke the front door. They went in, and they went upstairs. So she's in her bedroom. She has no idea what is happening. There are agents with Uzis and moon suits with guns in front.
Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer
Episode 5: One Hundred Miles
You would think like it's a bad dream that you are in. And she had no idea what it was also. But she said, I have not done, we have not done anything wrong.