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FBI Interviews Crop-Duster Pilots
FBI agents have interviewed hundreds of crop-duster pilots in the last year as the war in Iraq increased fears of an attack by plane releasing chemical or biological agents, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, June 3, 2003). More than 3,000 pilots and airplane owners have been questioned since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, most of them following the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, documents state. There have been no arrests under the Agriculture Aviation Threat Project, but interviews have led to continuing terrorism investigations, a senior law enforcement official told AP. Agents asked whether pilots or owners knew of efforts by foreigners to buy crop dusters, said Andrew Moore, executive director of the National Agriculture Aviation Association. Crop dusters were grounded after the attacks, and intelligence indicated terrorist groups were looking at using planes to spray a deadly agent, AP reported. Crop dusters could be used to contaminate the U.S. food supply, but it remains unknown how successful they would be in a more immediate attack. The planes are hard to fly and are not allowed into urban areas and, Moore said. Loading a deadly agent would also require expertise and equipment, he said (Curt Anderson, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, April 22).
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