Washington  - A government scientist who was the focus of a federal investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks has apparently committed suicide, the Los Angeles Times has reported.

Bruce Ivins, 62, was a top scientist at the government's elite bio-defence research laboratory in Fort Detrick, Maryland. He had been informed by authorities that he would soon be indicted for the attacks that horrified the nation in the weeks following the September 11 terrorist strikes.

Ivins name had not been publicly disclosed as a suspect, unlike one of his colleagues, Steven Hatfill, who won a 5.8-million settlement from the Justice Department after his name was leaked to the media as a "person of interest."

Ivins died Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital in Maryland after consuming a large dose of prescription Tylenol mixed with codeine, the newspaper reported.

Envelops containing anthrax were mailed in the weeks following September 11 to media outlets and some members of Congress. The contamination crippled the postal service. Five people died from the poisoning and dozens of people were given precautionary vaccinations. (dpa)