Carl Ghattas Named Special Agent in Charge of the Counterterrorism Division at the Washington Field Office

Director James B. Comey has appointed Carl Ghattas special agent in charge of the Counterterrorism Division at the Washington Field Office. Mr. Ghattas most recently served as deputy assistant director in the Directorate of Intelligence at FBI Headquarters.

Mr. Ghattas began his career as a special agent with the FBI in July 1997. He was first assigned to the Extraterritorial Investigations Squad at the Washington Field Office, where he investigated acts of terrorism committed against Americans and American interests abroad.

In July 2007, Mr. Ghattas transferred to FBI Headquarters to serve as chief of the Extraterritorial Investigations Unit in the Counterterrorism Division. He managed FBI overseas terrorism investigations in North America, South America, Africa, and Europe. Several months later, he was promoted to manage the FBI’s terrorism operations program within the continental United States. In March 2008, he was made responsible for managing the FBI’s operational efforts in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation. Mr. Ghattas received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service that year for his role in a sensitive joint intelligence collection operation.

Mr. Ghattas returned to the Washington Field Office in January 2010 as an assistant special agent in charge. He was responsible for overseas terrorism cases in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, as well as domestic terrorism cases in the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia area.

In December 2010, Mr. Ghattas returned to FBI Headquarters to assist in the realignment of the Counterterrorism Division’s structure and functions. He was appointed chief of the Strategic Operations Section in August 2011.

Mr. Ghattas graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and a Juris Doctorate from the Washington University School of Law.