WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – Statements by FBI Director Christopher Wray have reignited speculation about the origin of the corona virus. In an interview broadcast by the US broadcaster Fox News on Tuesday evening, the head of the US federal police confirmed an earlier assessment by his authority that a possible laboratory breakdown in China was “most likely” responsible for the spread of the corona virus. “The FBI has assumed for some time that the origin of the pandemic is most likely a possible laboratory incident in Wuhan,” Wray told the broadcaster. “This is about a possible leak in a laboratory controlled by the Chinese government.”
No consensus within the US government
According to the latest information from the White House, there is still no unanimous view of the origin of the virus in the US government. Some US authorities remain of the view that the virus was likely transmitted naturally, others are undecided. “There is currently no consensus in the US government as to how exactly Covid came about,” National Security Council communications director John Kirby said on Monday. “Intelligence services and the rest of the government are still looking into the matter,” he added. “We’re just not ready yet.”
According to a report published by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, the US Department of Energy has changed its assessment of the origin of the corona virus and is now also assuming a possible laboratory failure – but only with a “low” degree of certainty. This emerges from a classified intelligence report recently submitted to the White House and key members of Congress, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources. The Department of Energy agrees with the FBI’s assessment. There was initially no official confirmation of this.
China rejects so-called laboratory theory
Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Monday the search for the origin of the virus is a scientific matter and should “not be politicized”. The research mission of the World Health Organization (WHO) with Chinese scientists determined that a laboratory breakdown was “highly unlikely” during their investigations in 2021 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus was first discovered. It should stop blowing up the laboratory theory and slandering China, the spokeswoman said.
FBI Director Wray used the Fox News interview to blame China directly for the spread of the virus. The potential leak at the Chinese government-controlled lab “killed millions of Americans, and that’s what this capability was designed for.” He added that investigations are ongoing and many details are yet to be revealed. However, he wanted to note that the Chinese government had “done its best” to “hinder and cover up” the work of the US government and foreign partners.
Pressure on Biden government could grow
The relationship between the United States and China is currently heavily strained for various reasons. At the end of January, a suspected Chinese spy balloon entered US airspace. The balloon was shot down by the US military a few days later after overflying much of the US, including critical military infrastructure. CIA chief William Burns said over the weekend that China was “considering” providing “deadly support” to Russia. There is no evidence of actual deliveries yet.
However, the latest statements by the FBI director are also likely to increase the pressure on the Biden administration. In the past few days, there have been calls for a uniform assessment of the US government, especially from the ranks of Republicans. “Now is the time for the entire Biden administration to join the Department of Energy, the FBI, and the majority of Americans in publicly stating what common sense has told us from the start: The Covid-19 pandemic has originated in a lab leak in Wuhan, China,” wrote Republican and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul./trö/DP/zb