U.S. Officials Probe Land Purchases Near Air Force Base Amid Foreign Influence Concerns

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal disclosed a U.S. government investigation into acquiring extensive land parcels near a San Francisco air force base.

The investigation was triggered by concerns over potential foreign influence from the investment group involved in the purchase.

Over the past five years, Flannery Associates LLC has invested nearly $1 billion to emerge as the primary landowner in California's Solano County.

This development comes in the wake of a Chinese company's failed attempt to purchase land within 12 miles of North Dakota's Grand Forks Air Force Base, as it was deemed a threat to national security by the Air Force.

According to The Wall Street Journal, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has initiated the preparation of legislation to restrict foreign ownership of agricultural land in the United States and enhance the transparency of such acquisitions.

The report indicates that the American group, which collaborates with the Chinese company, had previously assured that the acquired lands would not be employed for any espionage activities against the United States.

Flannery Group, affirming its control by U.S. citizens, has confirmed that 97% of its investment capital originates from American sources, while the remaining percentage comes from investors in Britain and Ireland. The group stated to Solano County officials that a consortium of American families partaking in the venture seeks to diversify their asset portfolios by owning lands in the western United States.

Addressing the matter, an attorney representing the Flannery Group dismissed any speculation linking the land purchases to their proximity to Travis Air Force Base, asserting that such conjecture is entirely unfounded. The Wall Street Journal noted that the Air Force's Foreign Investment Risk Review Office is currently scrutinizing Flannery's acquisitions, covering an area of approximately 52,000 acres, per individuals familiar with the situation.

Sources revealed that the review office initiated its investigation eight months ago but has yet to ascertain the identity of the individuals behind the investment group. The Flannery Group's property holdings consist of over 300 parcels in Solano County, and the group has acknowledged investing over $800 million in these acquisitions, even acknowledging payments exceeding the present fair market value.