WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- The FBI asked the public's help Thursday in catching a self-styled "anti-abortion warrior" who may have sent more than 500 anthrax hoax letters to women's clinics in less than a month.
The hoax letters have not been linked to letters containing anthrax sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., NBC anchor Tom Brokaw or the New York Post, the FBI said.
Suspected bank robber Clayton Lee Waagner is already on the FBI's "10 Most Wanted Fugitives" list, accessible at fbi.gov, and on the U.S. Marshals Service site at usdoj.gov/marshals.
There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Waagner had previously been convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. He was facing a sentence of 15 years to life when he escaped from the county jail in Clinton, Ill., on Feb. 22.
Since his escape, Waagner is suspected of committing a number of bank robberies, the FBI said. He's formally been charged with robbing the First Union Bank in Harrisburg, Pa.
He abandoned a vehicle after a hit and run accident in Memphis, Tenn., during the Labor Day weekend, according to the FBI. That same weekend, he fled the area after committing a carjacking in nearby Tunica, Miss.
The anthrax hoax letters began arriving at women's clinics on the East Coast during October, more than 280 in the second week of that month.
The letters were marked "Time Sensitive" and "Urgent Security Notice Enclosed." They also bore the return addresses of the U.S. Marshals Service or the U.S. Secret Service.
Another 270 anthrax hoax letters were sent out to women's clinics by Federal Express in the first week of November.
"On Thanksgiving weekend, authorities received information that Clayton Lee Waagner has claimed responsibility for sending these letters to women's reproductive health clinics," the FBI said in a statement.
Waagner is a white male, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 175 to 220 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. He was born in North Dakota on Aug. 25, 1956, and uses numerous aliases.
Due to possible frostbite injuries, the FBI said, he may have limited use of his left hand and may at times walk with a limp.
Waagner is also known to be a heavy smoker and gambler, and is known to drink Crown Royal bourbon.
The FBI said Waagner is considered armed and dangerous, and members of the public should not attempt to approach him. Instead, those with information should contact the nearest FBI or law enforcement office.
