FBI San Juan
Public Affairs Officer Limary Cruz-Rubio
(787) 685-2066
July 15, 2016

FBI San Juan Statement on Alleged Terrorist Threat

Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Leff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), San Juan Field Office, made the following announcement:

This week, the FBI received information that a group affiliated with ISIS is planning attacks in Puerto Rico. While this is the first specific terrorist threat we have received directed at Puerto Rico, it is one of many that the FBI receives on a regular basis. With respect to all such threats, our law enforcement partners, and we run down every conceivable lead to determine if the threat is credible.

It is important to note that there are two questions we ask about all information we receive in order to thoroughly evaluate it. The first is the source of the information itself, whether the information is coming from an identified person or an anonymous caller. If the person is identified, we examine what we know about them and about their general trustworthiness. The second question we ask is the basis of the source’s knowledge; in other words, how they are able to know what they claim to know.

With regards to the threat we are currently investigating, the source of the information is an identifiable person. However, the source does not have any firsthand knowledge of this threat and is instead passing on information received from someone else, whose trustworthiness we know nothing about. As a result, we are conducting a large-scale investigation to see if we can corroborate the details of the threat. So far, not a single detail has been corroborated. By this, we mean that the more we are looking into it, the less likely the threat is becoming. But we will continue working around the clock until we have resolved this threat.

As always, the public is asked to call us with any information on suspicious activities. We can be reached at any time of the day or night at 787-754-6000 or https://www.fbi.gov/tips.