The FBI arrested several people in connection to Fourth of July terror plots aimed at killing U.S. citizens during the national holiday, FBI Director James Comey said Thursday.
Mr. Comey declined to discuss the details tied to the disrupted plots — including location names — during a roundtable discussion with reporters. He did note, however, that some of the individuals tied to the Fourth of July plots were arrested and charged with crimes that fall short of terrorism-related offenses, such as providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
The individuals were charged with lesser crimes so the FBI can continue to conduct its investigative work without exposing its tactics, Mr. Comey said.
“Maybe I don’t want to expose how I know something,” he said. “It may be that I have a reason to believe they’re engaged in this conduct but I can’t make it beyond a reasonable doubt yet. It’s sort of the Al Capone, tax-violation approach.”
The FBI nabbed the infamous gangster in 1931 on charges related to tax evasion after spending years searching for proof that he was a major player in New York City’s organized crime world.
In the days leading up to the Fourth of July weekend, FBI agents and Homeland Security officials issued a joint intelligence bulletin that warned of U.S.-based Islamic State supporters attacking Americans over the holiday weekend. That message from federal authorities to local police departments was described by former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell as “nothing routine.”
• Maggie Ybarra can be reached at mybarra@washingtontimes.com.
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