Agroterrorism Training Exercise to be Held in Seattle

The FBI will host an Agroterrorism Comprehensive Integrated Training Exercise in Seattle, Washington, on Thursday, September 27, 2007, as part of a weeklong training workshop.

The FBI works closely with the food and agriculture industries, which are regarded as essential components of our nation’s infrastructure, to guard against potential vulnerabilities. Preventing an agroterrorism attack is the ultimate goal of law enforcement. In reality, not every terrorist attack can be prevented; therefore, appropriate federal, state, and local agencies and other first responders must be prepared to respond to an incident once it has occurred. The FBI’s collaborative efforts with our partners in law enforcement and industry will help ensure that all responding parties are aware of their roles and responsibilities in the event of an attack. This exercise will highlight actions necessary to prevent a devastating impact on the economy and the potential loss of life that an agroterrorism attack would generate.

The training exercise will be held simultaneously at separate venues in the Seattle area. A portion of Thursday’s activities will be held at Qwest Field and will focus on the abilities of the Seattle Police Department Bomb Squad, the King County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad, Qwest Field security personnel, and FBI special agent bomb technicians to search Qwest Field and locate explosive devices designed to disseminate a biological agent in the event of a real attack. A second component, designed to practice the coordinated interagency response to an agroterrorism attack in a farm environment, will take place on a working dairy farm in Monroe, Washington.

Exercise participants include policy, program, and tactical professionals from all levels of government and industry, including representatives from FBI Headquarters, FBI Seattle, FBI Portland, FBI Anchorage, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the Seattle Police Department, the Seattle Fire Department, the Civil Support Team, and other first responders.

All attendees must be pre-registered to attend the exercise. Media inquiries related to this event can be directed to the FBI National Press Office.