How the FBI's Pursue-Every-Lead Policy Allowed the Orlando Shooting
Did Omar Mateen fall through the cracks because FBI agents are pursuing thousands of assessments nationwide under a policy to pursue any and all leads, no matter how ridiculous?
Trevor Aaronson
Trevor Aaronson is an investigative journalist and the author of “The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism.” He created the Audible Original series “Pulse: The Untold Story” and hosts “Alphabet Boys,” a podcast on the secret investigations of the FBI, CIA, DEA, ATF, and other alphabet agencies. A Peabody Award winner and two-time Livingston Awards finalist, Aaronson investigates abuses of power in law enforcement and national security.
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Before Nightclub Shooting, FBI Pursued Questionable Florida "Terror" Suspects
The attack on a gay club in Orlando — the largest mass shooting in U.S. history — demonstrates how potential threats are escaping the FBI’s vast counterterrorism dragnet.
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After one woman broke his heart, a young Michigan man turned to another woman, who tried to steer him toward a violent response. Both women were FBI informants.
FBI Honeypot Ensnares Michigan Man
After falling in love with an FBI informant, a 21-year-old Michigan man was accused by federal prosecutors of supporting the Islamic State.
An FBI Informant Seduced Eric McDavid Into a Bomb Plot. Then the Government Lied About It.
Prosecutors failed to disclose key evidence that suggested an informant had enticed Eric McDavid with the prospect of a romantic relationship.
FBI’s Key West Counterterrorism Sting Target “A Little Slow”
Twenty-three-year-old Harlem Suarez, also known as Almlak Benitez, hardly looks the part of an Islamic State fighter. But he's the latest in a long line of questionably competent "terrorists" targeted by the FBI.
A Terrorism Expert’s Secret Relationship with the FBI
Evan Kohlmann is the U.S. government’s go-to expert witness in terrorism prosecutions and an expert on cable television. Now, defense lawyers are raising questions about his classified work for the FBI.
An FBI Informant Makes a New Career as a Defense Expert
A longtime FBI informant, Craig Monteilh has acted as a Russian hit man, a Sicilian drug trafficker and even a white supremacist. Now he's helping undermine the cases he once helped make.
The FBI Informant Who Mounted a Sting Operation Against the FBI
A new documentary, <em>(T)ERROR</em>, reveals the weaknesses and bungling behind a terrorism investigation that relied on informants.
How the FBI Created a Terrorist
In 2012, Sami Osmakac was 25 years old, broke and struggling with mental illness. His family wanted to get him help. The FBI wanted him to plot a terrorist attack.