Communities Against Terrorism Alerts Farm Supply Stores and Dealers

Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities Related to Farm Supplies

Communities Against Terrorism, a program through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, recently issued a warning indicating potential indicators of terrorist activities related to farm supply stores.

The announcement urges farm supply store workers and dealers to be on the lookout for potentially suspicious activity.

“It’s very important to have the business community partner with us, specifically in the agricultural industry,” said Ken Werstak, Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordinator with the FBI. “We have already had cases throughout the U.S. where business owners have contacted the FBI for suspicious activities, through which we’ve been able to foil terrorist plots. Businesses can be a significant help to us.”

Examples of things to consider as suspicious include (but are not limited to) the following:

• A new customer from the local area.
• A customer who refuses to provide an address where the fertilizer will be used or delivered.
• A nervous or impatient customer.
• A customer who possesses little knowledge of crops, soil composition, field size, application methods or fertilizers.
• Out-of-season purchases of large quantities of pesticides, combustibles or fertilizers containing ammonium nitrate.

To be part of the solution to prevent terrorism, Communities Against Terrorism urges stores and dealers to require a valid ID from all new customers; keep records of purchases; talk to customers, ask questions and observe their responses; watch for people and actions that are out of place; make note of suspicious statements, vehicles or people; and notify law enforcement if something seems wrong.

“In the FBI, we are always concerned about probing-type activities, where an individual would call a store, or even go into a store, and make an unusual request about a specific pesticide,” Werstak said. “If there is something going on that is illegal, people will likely not know the legitimate use of that pesticide. By the dealer making these types of inquiries and potentially finding suspicious behavior, the scenario may be diffused before an actual purchase is made.”

To report suspicious activity, stores and dealers are encouraged to notify law enforcement immediately by calling the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force through the Cleveland Field Office at 216-522-1400.

To view the full announcement, complete with a full list of potentially suspicious behavior and activities, click here If you have any questions regarding the announcement, contact the FBI Cleveland Field Office at 216-522-1400.