Autopsy results showed Muhammed But, 55, of New York died of natural causes related to his heart, said Emily Hornaday, a state Division of Criminal Justice spokeswoman.
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Guards at the Hudson County Jail found him dead Tuesday morning.
Doctors conducted nasal swabs, blood and tissue tests for anthrax, but all came back negative, said Lionel Anicette, the jail’s medical director. The man’s cellmate and several guards also tested negative.
He was arrested Sept. 19 as part of the investigation into the terrorist attacks, a government source speaking anonymously told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
That connection led authorities to test his body for anthrax as a precaution, Anicette said. It showed no signs of trauma or foul play, authorities said.
Muhammed But had been held on immigration charges for overstaying his visa; it was not clear when he had entered the country or when he was scheduled to leave.
He had accepted an immigration judge’s order to leave the United States, an INS spokesman said.
FBI spokeswoman Sandra Carroll would not say how the man figured into the attacks investigation.
“We never filed criminal charges against the individual,” she said. “I can’t say whether we considered him an integral part of the Sept. 11 investigation or not.”
The INS said But was interviewed by FBI agents, who determined that he was no longer part of the investigation.