Director James B. Comey has named John S. Adams the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Division. Mr. Adams most recently served as deputy assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division (CTD) and led the strategic operations and intelligence analysis branch at FBI Headquarters (FBIHQ).

Mr. Adams began his career as a special agent with the FBI in 1997. He was first assigned to the Washington Field Office, and he investigated violations such as drug trafficking, violent crime, terrorism, and espionage. Mr. Adams was involved in the investigation into the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya; the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Aden, Yemen; and the 2003 bombings of three residential compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Mr. Adams was also involved in the crime scene investigation and evidence recovery following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In 2004, Mr. Adams transferred to FBIHQ to serve as supervisory special agent in the International Terrorism Operations Section I, where he managed ongoing terrorism investigations. In 2009, he was assigned to the Knoxville Division and led the joint terrorism task force and served as the intelligence program coordinator.

Mr. Adams was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the National Security Branch of the Richmond Division in 2010. Two years later, he was appointed to section chief of CTD’s strategic operations section. In this role, he was responsible for ensuring the collection of intelligence was focused on priority threats.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Adams served as a special agent of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.