Cropdusters grounded amid chemical weapons fear
In a step stemming from the FBI’s terrorist attack probe, the US Government grounded cropdusting planes across the country yesterday.
It was the second time that agricultural pilots have been told not to fly since the September 11 attacks. The order was apparently a precaution over fears of chemical and biological weapons.
Responding to questions about the latest grounding, the FBI said it was one of the steps the bureau has taken out of ‘‘an abundance of caution’’ and ‘‘in reaction to every bit of information and threats received during the course of this investigation’’.
James Callan, executive director of the National Agricultural Aviation Association, said he got a call from a Federal Aviation Administration official yesterday morning.
‘‘They said it was a national security issue,’’ said Callan. ‘‘I made some calls and the indication was that there still is no specific threat.’’
Three Middle Eastern men inquired about crop-duster planes during visits earlier this year to a single-runway airport in Belle Glade, Florida.
One of the men has since been identified as Mohamed Atta, believed to be one of the suicide hijackers in the terrorist attacks.
The Post also reported that government investigators found a manual on crop-dusters among the possessions of Zacarias Moussaoui, who currently is in federal custody.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Scott Brenner said ‘‘the intelligence community came to us and encouraged us to shut down the crop dusters.’’
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld outlined the potential threat, saying that countries sponsoring terrorism have ‘‘very active chemical and biological warfare programs.’’
‘‘We know that they are in close contact with terrorist networks around the world,’’ he said.
Callan said there are probably about 3,500 agricultural aviators and that this is a crucial time of the year for aerial spraying of crops.
As the FBI’s probe continued, agents in a Dallas suburb arrested a Palestinian whose name turned up in the address book of a former personal secretary to suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.
Ghassan Dahduli is appealing against an immigration court deportation ruling for obtaining a work visa through fraud, FBI spokeswoman Lori Bailey said.
Dahduli’s name surfaced in records introduced at this year’s trial of Wadih el Hage, who worked as personal secretary to bin Laden.
El Hage and three other bin Laden associates were convicted of conspiring to murder Americans.
