For Immediate Release
September 19, 2007
|
Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
|
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.
Additional information about the event and online registration
is available at http://www.agroterrorismworkshop.org.
Media inquiries related to this event can be directed to
the FBI National Press Office, 202-324-3691.
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