The Director of the US Federal Police FBI has confirmed an earlier assessment by his agency that a possible laboratory glitch in China was “most likely” responsible for the spread of the corona virus. “The FBI has been assuming for some time that the origin of the pandemic is most likely a possible laboratory incident in Wuhan,” said Christopher Wray in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News published on Tuesday evening (local time).
“This is about a possible leak at a Chinese government-controlled laboratory,” Wray said, adding that investigations are ongoing and many details could not yet 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.
The communications director of the National Security Council, John Kirby, made it clear on Monday that there was still no unified view within the US government on the origin of the corona virus. “There is currently no consensus in the US government as to how exactly Covid came about,” he said.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the US Department of Energy has changed its assessment of the origin of the corona virus and is now assuming a possible laboratory failure – but only with a “low” degree of certainty. China had rejected this. Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the search for the origin of the virus is a scientific matter and should “not be politicized”.