FBI Briefs International Partners on Operational Priorities

On November 1, 2010, the FBI’s International Operations Division hosted approximately 100 international attachés currently assigned to their countries' embassies in the United States. These attachés—who represent law enforcement, security, and intelligence agencies from 53 countries—are the counterparts to the FBI’s overseas legal attachés working in offices and sub-offices in 75 key cities around the world.

The embassy representatives were briefed by FBI executives on some of the Bureau’s top operational priorities—including terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, cyber crimes, and international corruption, and are of mutual concern and have global impact.

Referring to last week’s identification of two packages containing explosive materials in transit from Yemen to the United States, Director Robert S. Mueller, III, told participants that this [event] “puts an exclamation point” on the importance of developing international partnerships in response to an increasingly international crime problem. He added that these partnerships can form despite impediments such as different judicial systems, and are built by exchanging information, working cases jointly, and training.

The FBI’s legal attaché program is managed by the International Operations Division (IOD) at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. IOD works closely with other federal agencies, Interpol, foreign police and security officers in Washington, and national and international law enforcement associations. IOD staff conduct liaison and share information with international counterparts in accordance with executive orders, laws, treaties, Attorney General Guidelines, FBI policies, and interagency agreements.