Federal officials are warning a Monrovia surveillance aircraft manufacturer that Islamic terrorist group al-Qaida has threatened nearly a dozen of its top executives, according to a report issued Friday.
Monrovia Lt. Mike Lee: said “After 9/11 we did a complete assessment of all the potential targets in the city and we have be certain to maintain their security.”
Lee went on to explain that because Aerovironment manufactured among other things, drones used for unmanned surveillance, its company was deemed to be a potential target and so was of concern to the police department.
Mayor Mary Ann Lutz said that she was aware of the interest of what she called the “concern of federal agencies.” She assured this newspaper that Monrovia Police Department was aware of the situation and that they were cooperating with those federal agencies.
No one was available to answer questions at Aerovironment.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations could not confirm a specific threat against the Monrovia facility of AeroVironment Inc., but city officials met Thursday and announced enhanced security measures over the holiday weekend after threats surfaced on a jihadist website.
AV makes a variety of unmanned surveillance aircraft systems, including the Dragon Eye, Raven, Wasp and Puma AE that are used by U.S. forces in the ‘war on terrorism.’