Bay Area businesses warned by FBI to watch for suspicious chemical purchases

TAMPA, Fla. - "Recent events have reinforced concerns about violent extremist activity in the United States."

The FBI is not mincing words in its latest alert for businesses in the Tampa Bay area and around the country. 

The FBI's division of Cyber and Infrastructure Security sent them a letter saying, "Your business may possess or sell products that can be utilized in the construction of improvised explosive devices. The FBI needs your help to recognize and report suspicious activity."

Alan Sayler got the letter. He sells equipment to purify residential water. 

"I open the letter up and I started reading it," he told FOX 13 as he expressed his surprise. "There must be some significant concern which I hadn't heard about."

He's not exactly sure which chemicals his company uses that the FBI would find concerning, but nonetheless, he promises to watch for suspicious purchases made at his office in Pinellas Park. The letter was not tailored to his business, but its message is loud and clear.

"I had some employees here, so I said, ‘Did you read this? Look at what this thing is saying.’ I am thinking, like, ‘Holy cow,’" Sayler said. "I had no idea that when I got into the office, I would be asked to serve on the front lines of anti-terrorism."

The FBI calls the effort Operation Flashpoint, saying in 2020 there were over 2,000 bomb threats or suspicious devices reported.

"Either they are being proactive, or they are responding to some intelligence that they have," said David Katz, the founder of a private security company called Global Security Group Inc. and a former DEA agent.

Chemicals sold at Sayler's

In July 2021, the FBI launched Operation Flashpoint in Columbia, South Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, and Orlando and Tampa.

They say there are 250,000 businesses nationwide that sell chemicals that could be dangerous – in the right quantity.

In one prominent example, the FBI says a chemical distribution company helped foil a bomb maker's plot after reporting a suspicious shipping address to the FBI.

The FBI says it provides free, in-person and virtual training to empower businesses to make all their employees more aware.

For more information on Operation Flashpoint and on how to report concerns about unusual purchases, visit https://www.cisa.gov/operation-flashpoint