Page 6 - The Indian EYE 122223

NATION DECEMBER 22, 2023 | The Indian Eye 6

FBI director seeks close ties with NIA

and CBI to tackle transnational terror

The FBI Director also discussed ongoing investigations in the attack

on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco

CBI statement said.
OUR BUREAU
The meeting focused on strength-
New Delhi ening the exchange of information on
criminal matters, improving coordina-
ederal Bureau of Investigation tion in combating transnational crimes
(FBI) Director Christopher A
FWray on Tuesday emphasized and sharing expertise in the investiga-
tion of technology-enabled crimes.
on the need to take the “partnership FBI Director Christopher A
and cooperation” with India’s Nation- Wray while interacting with senior
al Investigation Agency (NIA) to the officers of CBI thanked CBI for the
next level to deal with the constantly collaborative spirit and the endur-
evolving challenges and threats of ter- ing cooperation during FBI’s long
rorism, and informed that his agency relationship with the CBI. Praveen
was “aggressively” investigating the Sood welcomed the FBI Director and
attack on the Indian consulate in San thanked him for his visit.
Francisco.
The FBI chief’s statement came CONGRESS MP BITTU
in a meeting with the NIA at its head- URGES STRONG CASE
quarters here in the national capital.
Wray, leading a high-level FBI dele- IN US, CANADA
gation, visited the NIA headquarters
earlier in the day and held extensive ongress MP Ravneet Singh
discussions with NIA Director Gener- Bittu strongly attacked
al Dinkar Gupta and senior officials of CGurpatwant Singh Pannun
both agencies. and urged the Ministry of External
The FBI Director, who was on a Affairs to put up a strong case in
three-day visit to India, also discussed the US and Canada to bring the
a host of issues, including the acts and extremist perpetrators to justice.
activities of terrorist-organized crimi- Raising the issue in the Lok
nal networks, ongoing investigations Sabha on Monday, the Ludhiana
in the US in the attack on the Indian MP cited the Kanishka Air India
Consulate in San Francisco, investiga- bombings that occurred in 1985
tion of cyber-terror and cyber-crimes FBI Director Christopher Wray visited CBI headquarters in New Delhi on Monday and held as the Canadian authorities “ig-
of various kinds highlighted the NIA. discussions with Praveen Sood, Director, CBI and senior officials (ANI) nored” the inputs shared by India.
“Wray informed the NIA that He also said that “one-way
the FBI was aggressively investigating traffic” is not good as far as bilat-
the attack on the Indian Consulate in “Terror incidents like 9/11 and cussions with Central Bureau of Inves- eral relations between two coun-
San Francisco,” NIA said in a state- the Mumbai attacks have changed the tigation (CBI) Director Praveen Sood tries are concerned.
ment. As per the NIA, candid and way in which nations respond to terror and other senior officials in which Bittu said, “The FBI Director
wide-ranging discussions held during threats,” observed the FBI Director, both agencies recognized the chal- is visiting India this week...there
the meeting with the NIA chief high- emphasizing on the need to take the lenges posed by organized crime net- are many conventions of diplo-
lighted the active nexus between the partnership and “cooperation between works, said the CBI in an official press matic relations, bilateral relations.
terrorist outfits and terrorist elements the FBI and the NIA to the next level statement on Monday. The statement We respect and value our country
with members of Organized Criminal to deal with the constantly evolving read, “Both agencies recognized the but how will it work in case of one-
Syndicates, which was spreading to challenges and threats of terrorism.” challenges posed by organized crime way traffic?”
the US as well. During the meeting, the NIA networks, cyber-enabled financial Referring to the efforts made
Wray said that both the agencies DG pointed out that threats in the crimes, ransomware threats, econom- by India on sending extradition
have a lot in common and the simi- cyber domain were increasing. Dig- ic crimes and transnational crimes.” requests for extremists, he said,
larities are far greater than the differ- ital space was also being effectively They also discussed the need to “I have failed to understand that
ences, said the NIA in a statement, exploited by terrorists and extremists expedite the sharing of evidence and India has sent 26 extradition re-
adding, “on the nexus between terror for propagating radical views and re- for closer assistance in bringing crimi- quests...But they are demanding
actors and organized crime syndicates, cruitment, he said, adding that NIA nals and fugitives to justice. It was also perfect proof, absolute proof.
Wray said that a blending of lines be- was also seeing use of cryptocurrency discussed to exchange the best practic- Now, we don’t have any idea what
tween terrorists and criminals was for terrorist financing. es of the FBI Academy, Quantico and proof they are talking about.”
now visible in the cyberspace as well.” Christopher A Wray also held dis- the CBI Academy, Ghaziabad, the

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