2013: the FBI Story
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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation 2013 An examiner with the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC)—a multi-agency operation established by the FBI in 2003—photographs parts used in an improvised explosive device. 2013 Hostage Rescue Team members debrief after a training exercise at their facility in Quantico, Virginia. 2013 The FBI Story I II 2013 The FBI Story A Message from FBI Director James B. Comey This past year, the FBI and its partners again addressed a wide range of national security and criminal threats. Together, we responded to numerous crisis incidents, such as the terrorist bombings of the Boston Marathon and the shootings at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. We confronted a continued surge of cyber attacks against targets ranging from everyday citizens to our largest and most successful businesses. And we stopped those who would strike at the heart of our communities—from violent gangs and white-collar criminals to child predators and corrupt public officials. A glimpse of the challenges we faced—and what we achieved together—can be found in this latest edition of The FBI Story, our annual collection of news and feature articles from the Bureau’s public website. Here you can read about some of our most successful recent major investigations and operations. These include a three-day nationwide sweep targeting child prostitution in which we identified and rescued more than 100 young victims and arrested more than 150 pimps; the rescue of a 5-year-old boy held captive in a heavily armed bunker in Alabama; and the uncovering of the largest domestic bribery and bid-rigging scheme in the history of federal contracting cases—one that siphoned more than $30 million dollars of taxpayer money. This edition of The FBI Story also highlights some of the Bureau’s remarkable capabilities. You will find a multi-part series on our elite Hostage Rescue Team—which marked its 30th anniversary this past year—and a feature on the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC)—an FBI-established, multi- agency operation that celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2013. For the FBI, 2013 was a year of transition, as my predecessor, Robert S. Mueller, III, completed his extraordinary 12-year tenure at the helm of the Bureau. Director Mueller guided the FBI in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks and spearheaded the Bureau’s transformation into an intelligence- driven, threat-focused agency capable of confronting today’s global security threats. Director James Comey delivers remarks at the White House following his nomination to lead the FBI on June 21, 2013. Director Comey was sworn in on September 4. Following Bob Mueller is both a great challenge (White House Photo) and a tremendous privilege. In my first months as Director, I have been meeting with our partners in the law enforcement and intelligence communities both in the United States and abroad. I want to ensure that we maintain open lines of communication about the work we are doing in our respective communities so that we can continue to build strong relationships to carry us into the future. Those same open and honest lines of communication are equally crucial for our private sector partners and the citizens we serve. I look forward to working with all of you in the months and years to come. Thank you for your continued trust and support of the FBI, which we need to keep our country safe from harm. 2013 The FBI Story III IV 2013 The FBI Story January 4, 2013 Stopping a Suicide Bomber Jihadist Planned Attack on U.S. Capitol After months of consideration, a target was picked and a date was set: On February 17, 2012, Amine Mohamed El-Khalifi would strap on a bomb-laden vest and—in the name of jihad—blow himself up at an entrance to the U.S. Capitol. If anyone tried to stop him, he would shoot them with a MAC-10 assault weapon. That’s how the 29-year-old Northern Virginia resident During meetings with our undercover agent, El-Khalifi believed events would unfold that Friday morning handled weapons and explosives and said he would use when he emerged from his car—suicide vest on and a gun to kill people face-to-face. Finally, in January weapon by his side—in a parking garage near the 2012, after a test explosion in a West Virginia quarry Capitol. (carefully monitored by the JTTF), El-Khalifi decided to attack the Capitol building. It would be a suicide “He totally believed he was going to die in the attack, mission. and he seemed very much at peace with it,” said a special agent on our Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) who Over the next month, the would-be bomber visited the investigated the case. “The day of the attack, he was Capitol building several times to conduct surveillance. happy.” On the morning of February 17, El-Khalifi drove to the parking garage and put on the suicide vest. As he walked What El-Khalifi didn’t know was that “Yusuf,” the toward the Capitol, he was quickly arrested. supposed al Qaeda operative he was conspiring with, was actually an undercover FBI agent—and the would-be Four months later, El-Khalifi pled guilty to attempted terrorist’s every move was being monitored by members of use of a weapon of mass destruction. In September, he our Washington Field Office JTTF. Although El-Khalifi was sentenced to 30 years in prison. believed he was going to kill many people that day in the “This case ended well, thanks to the work of the JTTF,” name of jihad, the explosives in his vest and the assault our agent said. “All our JTTF partners, including state weapon had been rendered inoperable by FBI technicians. and local law enforcement, played a key role. It’s scary to A Moroccan citizen who came to the U.S. more than consider this guy’s intentions,” the agent added. “He was a decade ago, El-Khalifi initially embraced Western totally rational. There was no disconnect from reality— culture. But in 2010 he began posting radical jihadist he was going to kill people and he felt that was the right messages online and expressed an interest in joining the way to express his religious beliefs.” mujahedeen to fight in Afghanistan. “As far as we know,” The agent noted that one of El-Khalifi’s original plans said the special agent who investigated El-Khalifi, “he was to take an automatic weapon to a shopping mall and became radicalized online.” shoot as many people as possible. “It’s frightening to think In January 2011, El-Khalifi met with individuals in what might have happened if he had not shown up on the a Washington suburb where jihad was endorsed and FBI’s radar.” weapons were displayed. By the end of 2011—after he had been introduced to our undercover agent—El-Khalifi was actively seeking to join an armed extremist group, and he suggested bombing attacks on targets ranging from a local synagogue to a restaurant frequented by U.S. military officials. 2013 The FBI Story 1 January 8, 2013 Left: One of six CART mobile labs with state-of-the-art capabilities for acquiring, processing, and analyzing digital evidence…even while the vehicle is in motion. terabytes of data. To put that last figure into perspective, it’s widely believed that the total printed content in the Library of Congress is equal to about 10 terabytes of data. CART examiners are experts at extracting data from digital media…even when the media is damaged by the forces of nature or by defendants attempting to prevent data from being recovered. The cases that CART examiners work span the gamut of FBI program areas: from cyber crimes and computer Piecing Together intrusions to violent crimes, financial crimes, organized crime, and national security matters. And once they have Digital Evidence finished their forensic work, CART examiners are also available to testify in court as expert witnesses on their The Computer Analysis findings. Response Team Because we come across computers and other digital media so often in the course of our investigative work, In a case involving the round-up of dozens of suspects our CART examiners can’t possibly handle every piece of indicted on public corruption and other charges, media. That’s why CART created a basic digital evidence investigators were faced with processing large numbers training course and developed easy-to-use examination of seized cell phones, desktop computers, and laptops tools for field investigators—to give them the technical belonging to the suspects. In another case, key evidence and legal knowledge they need to process simpler and against a terror suspect arrested for attempted use of a more basic digital evidence from their cases without weapon of mass destruction included data found on his altering or damaging the data—which allow CART computer. And after a U.S. congresswoman was wounded examiners to focus on more technically complex cases. and six people killed in Arizona, vital evidence was found on security camera footage, computers, and cell phones. CART on the go. While much of CART’s work is done in stationary facilities in the field or back at our national Reflecting a trend that has become increasingly Headquarters, we also have six mobile CART laboratories commonplace for law enforcement, all three of these around the country. These mobile labs are especially cases involved the need to recover digital evidence. And valuable when time is of the essence, enabling digital our Computer Analysis Response Team, or CART, is the evidence to be examined on the spot.