Since the city's Office of Emergency Management was swift to test the air and apparently no biological agents were detected, it is unlikely that an attack occurred last night. Nevertheless, the strange situation overnight was similar to how a biological or chemical attack would begin, e.g., with widespread reports of a strange odor. However, casualties would not occur until days after the release of pathogens....days during which it would be crucial to get prophylactic antibiotic treatment to the exposed population.

Notably, if I'm not mistaken, the weather last night in New York City included a "temperature inversion"....an ideal meteorological condition for a chemical/biological attack:

"Open-air release of biological and chemical weapons can affect the broadest area with the highest number of casualties. Temperature inversions, in particular, could trap these agents close to the ground, substantially increasing the level of surface doses. Rain washes most of these agents out of the air. Some biological and chemical agents may remain harmful in groundwater for a period of time; however, most become harmless."

From - http://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/BG1488.cfm

Incredibly, the department of the school Samar teaches at is involved in the Department of Homeland Security's "Urban Dispersion Program" examining how contaminants might spread throughout New York City:

http://urbandispersion.pnl.gov/index.stm

I alerted the FBI that it might be a bad idea to include Samar's school in this program since it could give this potential bioterrorist access to data, analyses and knowhow that might be used to guide him in most effectively conducting a biological attack in New York City. Unfortunately, I never received a response. At the least, the fact that such delicate bioterror studies are being carried out around 'Waly Samar' reveals that the FBI and U.S. authorities are not concerned about his presence.

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Strong, Sweet Smell Resembling Maple Syrup Reported Around Manhattan, but Nothing Harmful Found

Associated Press

NEW YORK Oct 28, 2005 — New York City has many odors, but when the city began to smell a little too good, New Yorkers became alarmed.

Residents from the southern tip of Manhattan to the Upper West Side nearly 10 miles north called a city hot line to report a strong odor Thursday night that most compared to maple syrup, The New York Times reported Friday.

There were so many calls that the city's Office of Emergency Management coordinated efforts with the Police and Fire Departments, the Coast Guard and the City Department of Environmental Protection to find the source of the mysterious smell.

Air tests haven't turned up anything harmful, but the source was still a mystery.

"We are continuing to sample the air throughout the affected area to make sure there's nothing hazardous," said Jarrod Bernstein, an emergency management spokesman. "What the actual cause of the smell is, we really don't know."

Although many compared the smell to maple syrup, others said it reminded them of vanilla coffee or freshly-baked cake. All seemed to agree that it was a welcome change from the usual city smells.

"It's like maple syrup. With Eggos (waffles). Or pancakes," Arturo Padilla told The Times as he walked in Lower Manhattan. "It's pleasant."

From - http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1258934

Research Team