Fbi

FBI should have collected more intelligence before Capitol riot: Report

The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot even though the bureau did prepare for the possibility of violence on Jan 6, 2021, according to a watchdog report Thursday. It also said no undercover FBI employees were present that day and none of the bureau's informants was authorised to participate. The report from the Justice Department inspector general's office knocks down a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events that day, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump's 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the building in a violent clash with police. The review was being released nearly four years after a dark chapter in history that shook the bedrock of American democracy. Though narrow in scope, the report aims to shed light on gnawing questions that have dominated public discourse, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the ri

'Great day for America': Trump welcomes FBI Director Wray's resignation

In his statement, Trump said that the resignation will end the weaponisation of 'US Department of Injustice'

FBI Director Wray announces plan to resign, paves way for Kash Patel

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job. At a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Wray said he would be stepping down after weeks of careful thought. Wray's intended resignation is not unexpected considering that Trump had picked Patel for the role in his new administration. Wray had previously been named by Trump and began the 10-year term a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations in 2017, after Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey. Trump had telegraphed his anger with Wray on multiple occasions, including after Wray's congressional testimony in September. But the soft-spoken director rarely seemed to go out of his way to publicly confront the White House.

FBI warns against Chinese hackers, asks telecom firms to boost security

Federal authorities on Tuesday urged telecommunication companies to boost network security following a sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. The guidance issued by the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. Officials who briefed reporters on the recommendations said the US still doesn't know the true scope of China's attack or the extent to which Chinese hackers still have access to US networks. In one sign of the global reach of China's hacking efforts, the government's warning was issued jointly with security agencies in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which also includes the US and Britain. Dubbed Salt Typhoon by analysts, the wide-ranging cyberespionage campaign emerged earlier this year after hackers sought

Trump's FBI pick Kash Patel wants to reshape bureau via surveillance reform

Indian American Kash Patel has been well-known for years within Donald Trump's orbit as a loyal supporter who shares the president-elect's scepticism of the FBI and intelligence community. But he's receiving fresh attention, from the public and from Congress, now that Trump has picked him to lead the FBI. As he braces for a bruising and likely protracted Senate confirmation fight, Patel can expect scrutiny not only over his professed fealty to Trump but also for his belief revealed over the last year in interviews and his own book that the century-old FBI should be radically overhauled. Here's a look at some of what he's proposed for the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency. How much of it he'd actually follow through on is a separate question. He's mused about shutting down the FBI's Washington headquarters The first FBI employees moved into the current Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters 50 years ago. The building since then has housed the supervisors and leaders who m

Who is Kash Patel, Trump's pick to lead FBI: All you need to know

Kash Patel has called for radical changes at the FBI and was a fierce and vocal critic of the bureau's work as it investigated ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Now the steadfast Trump ally has been tapped to lead the federal law enforcement agency he's pushed to overhaul. A look Patel, Trump's pick to replace Christopher Wray atop the FBI. Side-by-side with Trump Patel has for years been a loyal ally to Trump, finding common cause over their shared skepticism of government surveillance and the deep state a pejorative catchall used by Trump to refer to government bureaucracy. He was part of a small group of supporters during Trump's recent criminal trial in New York who accompanied him to the courthouse, where he told reporters that Trump was the victim of an unconstitutional circus. That close bond would break from the modern-day precedent of FBI directors looking to keep presidents at arm's length. Former FBI Director James Comey, who was fire

FBI arrests man accused of plotting attack on New York Stock Exchange

A Florida man was arrested Wednesday and charged with a plot to reboot the US government by planting a bomb at the New York Stock Exchange this week and detonating it with a remote-controlled device, according to the FBI. Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, 30, of Coral Springs, Florida, was charged with attempt to use an explosive device to damage or destroy the building used in interstate commerce. The FBI began investigating Yener in February based on a tip that he was storing bombmaking schematics in a storage unit. They found bomb-making sketches, many watches with timers, electronic circuit boards and other electronics that could be used for building explosive devices, according to the FBI. He had also searched online for things related to bomb-making since 2017, according to the FBI. Yener also told undercover FBI agents that he wanted to detonate the bomb the week before Thanksgiving and that the stock exchange in lower Manhattan would be a popular site to target. The Stock Exchange,

Trump interviewing FBI chief candidates, Vance says in later deleted post

President-elect Donald Trump is interviewing candidates for the role of FBI director, incoming Vice-President JD Vance said on Tuesday in the clearest indication yet that the new administration is looking to replace current director Christopher Wray. In a social media post that was later deleted, Vance defended his absence from a Senate vote at which a judicial nominee of President Joe Biden was confirmed by saying that at the time of the vote, "I was meeting with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director." "I tend to think it's more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45," he added on X. Vance was referring to the Senate vote on Monday to confirm Embry J Kidd, a Biden nominee to the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, a vote that he and several other Republican senators missed. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment, and the Trum

Gangster Anmol Bishnoi detained in the US: Will India get him back?

FBI's wanted Vikash Yadav seeks court exemption citing security threat

It was also argued that the threat to the applicant's life is immediate, grave, and imminent and that his physical presence in court could provide an opportunity for these elements to harm

US accuses China of vast cyber-espionage campaigns against telecoms

The hackers infiltrated networks of multiple telecommunications companies to steal customer call records and compromise communications belonging to a limited number of people in government agencies

Trump names John Ratcliffe as CIA head, Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel

US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe will head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under his administration. He also picked former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as his ambassador to Israel. In a series of announcements on key positions, Trump also declared Congressman Mike Waltz his National Security Advisor who would serve in his Cabinet and asserted that his NSA pick is an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism. For the position of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Trump picked successful real estate investor and philanthropist Steven C Witkoff, giving him the mandate to restore peace in the region. He also declared his former White House cabinet secretary Bill McGinley as the White House Counsel in his second term beginning January 20 next year. Speaking highly of Ratcliffe, Trump said, "From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation, to ...

Iranian charged by FBI, tasked to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka: US

An Iranian national charged by the FBI for plotting assassination on president-elect Donald Trump was tasked by the Iranians to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka, the Department of Justice has alleged. Farhad Shakeri, 51, of Iran was charged Friday in a criminal complaint in connection with their alleged involvement in a plot to murder a Trump. Shakeri is an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) asset, remains at large and is believed to reside in Tehran, Iran. "He was also tasked with targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka, the Department of Justice said. According to documents filed in a federal court, Shakeri was asked by IRGC to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka and to plan a mass shooting event in October 2024. On or about October 23, 2024, the governments of the United States and Israel publicly warned travellers about threats of an attack targeting tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area, and, on or about the following day, Sri Lankan authorities reported having ..

FBI, Justice Department investigating racist texts sent following election

Several federal and state agencies are investigating how racist mass texts were sent to Black people across the country in the wake of the presidential election this week. The text messages invoking slavery were sent to Black men, women and children, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other law enforcement departments. The anonymously sent messages were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Tennessee. The FBI said it has communicated with the Justice Department about the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it is investigating alongside federal and state law enforcement. These messages are unacceptable, said a statement from FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel. She said the agency takes this type of targeting very seriously. While the texts varied somewhat, they all instructed recipients to board a bus that would transport them to a plantation to work as slaves, officials said. They said the messages were

FBI thwarts Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump; 3 people charged

The FBI thwarted an Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump, the Department of Justice said on Friday as it charged an Iranian national and arrested two American citizens for involvement in a plot to murder the Republican president-elect. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) charged Farhad Shakeri, 51, an asset of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who is believed to reside in Iran. Two individuals, Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, were arrested from Brooklyn and Staten Island in New York on Thursday. According to statements made by Shakeri in recorded interviews, he was tasked by the Iranian regime on October 7 to devise a plan to kill Trump, who was re-elected as the president of the US earlier this week. However, Shakeri claimed he did not intend to carry out the plan within the deadline set by the IRGC. Shakeri, who was deported to Iran in 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction, said he was also instructed to surveil two

FBI thwarts Iranian murder-for-hire plan targeting President-elect Trump

The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges Friday in a thwarted Iranian plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump before this week's presidential election. A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan alleges that an unnamed official in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard instructed a contact this past September to put together a plan to surveil and ultimately kill Trump.

Fake video of migrants voting was Russia propaganda: US officials

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Thursday had asked X to remove the video, suggesting it was the work of a Russian troll farm

US elections 2024: Fires at ballot drop boxes being probed, say officials

Steve Bernd, a spokesperson for the FBI's Seattle office, said the federal officials are examining these incidents along with the help of state and local law enforcement

FBI investigates leak of classified Israel documents on Iran attack

The FBI said Tuesday that it is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel's preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the Biden administration is still not certain if the classified information was leaked or hacked but that officials don't have any indication at this point of additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain." At the Pentagon, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with his counterpart, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, about the release of documents. But Ryder, who is press secretary, said he could provide no details or say when the conversation took place. The Associated Press reported Saturday that US officials were investigating the release. The FBI confirmed the investigation for the first time on Tuesday and said in a statement that it is working closely with our partners in the Department

Vikash Yadav, 'wanted' in Pannun case, was arrested by Delhi Police in 2023

Vikash Yadav's troubles began before his name appeared in DoJ files, having spent four months in Tihar Jail before being added to the FBI's wanted list