Federal officials have no indications that terrorists are seeking to use the Ebola virus as a biologic weapon against the United States, FBI Director James Comey said on Thursday.
“No,” Comey replied simply when asked whether there was any credible evidence that foreign terrorists were looking into using the virus to target the U.S.
{mosads}He did not go into further detail in response to the question, which came after a speech at the Brookings Institution.
Fears of terrorists intentionally contaminating themselves with Ebola or launching a targeted attack against the U.S. have grown in some conservative circles in recent weeks, as concerns about the virus have spread more widely.
Scott Brown, the Republican running against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H), has said that it would be “naive” not to fear that foreign criminals or terrorists were not eyeing using the disease as a possible weapon against the U.S. Many of the concerns have centered around the possibility of terrorists or unauthorized immigrants carrying the virus into the U.S. through the border with Mexico.
The Obama administration has come under serious criticism for its reaction to the Ebola crisis.
This week, a second U.S. health worker in Texas contracted the virus after treating an African man who entered the country with the disease.