Following
the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, our investigation
took us to many new places in the world. One of
these was the United Arab Emirates, or U.A.E.,
an ancient land of great history that runs down
the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz.
We asked officials of the U.A.E. government for
support, and they said, "How can we help?"
With
the permission and support of the U.A.E., we temporarily
stationed Special Agents in Abu Dhabi, its capital,
to coordinate the many details of the 9/11 investigation.
By
all accounts, cooperation has been strong:
the Dubai Police and other colleagues have helped
us run down countless counterterrorism leads,
trace terrorist money flows (particularly through
Dubai, one of U.A.E.'s seven emirates and a leading
financial and commercial hub in the Middle East),
and extradite criminals despite the absence of
formal treaties between our two nations. Through
it all, U.A.E. has been an vital partner in the
worldwide fight against crime and terror.
The
Next Step. This month, we officially opened
the Legal Attache Office, or Legat, in the American
Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Heading the office is an
FBI Legat, who is a Special Agent and now a formal
member of the Embassy's diplomatic staff.
How
will the new Legat bear fruit? By keeping
on top of the region's threats. By building mutually
beneficial relationships with our counterparts
that will translate into growing support for FBI
investigations. And by continuing to strengthen
expertise among international partners through
training at the Middle Eastern Law Enforcement
Training Center, run jointly by the FBI and
the U.A.E. at the Dubai Police Academy.
How
do you contact the Legat in Abu Dhabi? Call
the U.S. Embassy at 011-971-2-414-2200.
The
end of the story? Definitely not! The FBI
will be opening more Legats in the coming weeks
and months. We'll keep you posted.
Links:
FBI Legats;
for background on the U.A.E.,see the CIA
World Factbook.
