…As Crop-Duster Owners Are Put On Guard

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Meanwhile, an old threat is gaining new attention in the U.S. as federal authorities urge crop-duster owners and pilots to keep an eye out for anything strange. A crop duster was reported stolen in Mexico on Nov. 1, provoking a TSA advisory. Robert Jordan, the FBI’s top agent in Oregon, confirmed to the Associated Press that al Qaeda may be taking a fresh look at the use of crop dusters to spread biological or chemical agents in the U.S. And that puts those who fly and maintain the aircraft on the front line of defense … and on the front lines of federal scrutiny. (Expect visits from the FBI.) Wayne Seitz, who owns a crop-dusting business in Heppner, Ore., said he’s getting used to the periodic security alerts affecting his industry and actually welcomes the resulting federal attention. Seitz has been visited by the FBI and FAA in recent months, both checking to make sure his plane is securely stored. The FBI’s Jordan said Seitz and his colleagues had better get used to the scrutiny. “I don’t anticipate us losing our interest in that type of industry in the foreseeable future,” he said.

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