Trial and Terror
FBI Stings Zero In on ISIS Sympathizers. Few Have Terrorist Links.
Alexander Ciccolo professed support for ISIS, but it’s unclear whether he would have posed a threat had the FBI not provided weapons and encouragement.
Trevor Aaronson
Trevor Aaronson is an award-winning investigative journalist. His forthcoming book “Bad Guys,” about the FBI, will be published February 2027 by Grand Central Publishing in the U.S. and Monoray in the U.K. He is the author of “The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism,” and has created several audio documentaries, including the Audible Original series “Pulse: The Untold Story” and the iHeart series “Alphabet Boys.” A Peabody Award winner and two-time Livingston Awards finalist, he focuses on abuses of power in law enforcement and national security.
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Trial and Terror
Terrorism Defendants With Concrete Ties to Violent Extremists Leverage Their Connections to Avoid Prison
The case of Earnest James Ujaama, a prolific cooperating witness, illustrates the irony of a system that grants leniency to those with information to trade.
Trial and Terror
More Than 400 People Convicted of Terrorism in the U.S. Have Been Released Since 9/11
In the Liberty City Seven terror case, a group of street hustlers working a scam fell victim to an FBI informant posing as an agent of Al Qaeda.
The FBI’s Secret Rules
The FBI Gives Itself Lots of Rope to Pull in Informants
Agents have the authority to aggressively investigate anyone they believe could be a valuable source for the bureau.
The FBI’s Secret Rules
When Informants Are No Longer Useful, the FBI Can Help Deport Them
The FBI coordinates with immigration authorities to locate informants who are no longer of value to the bureau.
The FBI’s Secret Rules
How the FBI Conceals Its Payments to Confidential Sources
A classified policy guide creates opportunities for agents to disguise payments as reimbursements or offer informants a cut of seized assets.
Man Who Claimed to Be CIA Asset Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison in Arms Deal Sting
Flaviu Georgescu faced a possible life sentence after being caught up in a DEA sting.
Did the DEA Nab an International Weapons Dealer, or a CIA Asset Hung Out to Dry?
The U.S. government says Flaviu Georgescu was an arms dealer who wanted to sell weapons to terrorists. So why did he call the CIA to tell the agency what he was doing?
Former Anti-Terror FBI Employee Now Finds Himself a Target
Tahir spent the last decade tailing Muslims in counterterrorism cases. Now he says he’s a victim of the same biases that underpinned many of the cases he worked on.
FBI Had Undercover Agent at Scene of "Draw Muhammad" Shooting in Texas
The indictment of Erick Hendricks for ISIS recruiting reveals that an undercover FBI agent was communicating with Hendricks just before two men attacked the Garland event in 2015.