The CIA presented a revised evaluation on Saturday regarding the Covid-19 outbreak, suggesting that the virus may have originated from a Chinese lab rather than animals. However, the agency emphasized its "low confidence" in this conclusion.
A spokesperson stated that a "research-related origin" of the pandemic is more probable than a natural one based on current reporting.
This assessment, one of the first decisions by the CIA's new director John Ratcliffe, appointed by Donald Trump and assuming office on Thursday, aligns with Ratcliffe's previously expressed support for the lab leak theory, notably pointing to the Wuhan Institute of Virology as a likely source of the virus.
In an interview with Breitbart News, Ratcliffe urged the CIA to take a stance on the virus's origins, stating, "That's a day-one thing for me."
However, officials clarified that this assessment was not based on new intelligence and was initiated before the Trump administration, underlining the absence of a consensus on the Covid-19 pandemic's cause.
While some advocate for a "natural origin" theory of the virus spreading without laboratory intervention, intelligence agencies are gradually acknowledging the plausibility of a lab-related incident. In 2023, FBI Director Christopher Wray highlighted that "the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident."