James Kallstrom is a former FBI Assistant Director and a member of the FBI Director’s Advisory Group. He was also a director of the New York Homeland Security Agency.
Ever since 9/11, critics have suggested that the FBI isn’t up to its task as our nation’s lead counterterrorism agency.
Yet, as the nation focused on the failures of the intelligence community in the Christmas Day bombing attempt over Detroit, last Friday saw two more arrests in the ongoing FBI investigation of a plot to bomb New York City first exposed by the September arrest of Najibullah Zazi.
It’s easy to stand on the periphery, without the benefit of real-world experience, and render judgments with the benefit of hindsight. But counterterrorism cases are extremely complex and often require a relatively quick series of judgments, often with incomplete information. Counterterror investigations and intelligence gathering aren’t black and white, simple or easy.
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