Hatfill's former apartment searched again

Hatfill

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The former apartment of bioweapons researcher Steven Hatfill in Maryland was searched again Wednesday by the FBI, government sources told CNN.

This was the third search of the apartment, located in Frederick. According to his spokesman, Pat Clawson, Hatfill has not lived in the apartment for about a month, after moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take a job with Louisiana State University.

Government sources told CNN that investigators are looking for some type of residue in this search of the apartment. Sources would not say why they again felt the need to conduct a search.

As Hatfill no longer lives there, sources said there was no need for a new search warrant to gain access to the apartment.

Clawson reacted to the search by saying: "How many times does the FBI [need] to search it before getting it right?"

Hatfill has twice held news conferences to deny any role in the mailings of anthrax-laced letters last fall. Hatfill has been described as a "person of interest" in the anthrax investigation by Attorney General John Ashcroft.

While Hatfill worked at the government bioweapons lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland, he maintains he never has worked with anthrax and that he was not in New Jersey when the anthrax-laced letters were mailed from there last fall.

Clawson said Hatfill had given blood and fingerprint samples to the FBI on August 30, as he had offered to do. Clawson said the FBI told Hatfill it could not find any fingerprint samples on file, although the former researcher did have a government security clearance that was later revoked.

LSU last week decided to fire Hatfill from his job helping to train emergency responders to bioterrorism attacks but said that decision did not reflect any comment about his innocence or guilt.

The Justice Department had sent LSU a memo the day before Hatfill was suspended, saying it would revoke funding for any program with which Hatfill was associated. The program for which Hatfill was hired to work was primarily funded by the Justice Department.

LSU denied that his suspension or firing had any connection to the Justice Department memo.

Government sources have told CNN there are between 20 to 30 persons of interest in the anthrax investigation. No one has been named a suspect in the case. Sources have told CNN about a dozen homes have been searched as part of the inquiry.