Request was made at a meeting between FBI, NIA chiefs

Request was made at a meeting between FBI, NIA chiefs

Request was made at a meeting between FBI, NIA chiefs

Terrorist-organised criminal networks, ongoing probe into attack on Indian Consulate in San Francisco,  investigation of cyber-terror and cyber-crimes were among a host of issues discussed by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Christopher A. Wray and National Investigation Agency chief Dinkar Gupta on Tuesday.

Wray, leading a high-level FBI delegation, visited the NIA headquarters in Delhi.

The central agency said in a statement that during the meeting, Gupta highlighted the active nexus between the terrorist outfits and terrorist elements with members of organised criminal syndicates, which was spreading to the US as well.

The FBI chief, meanwhile, said that a blending of lines between terrorists and criminals was now visible in the cyberspace as well. Terror incidents like 9/11 and the Mumbai attacks have changed the way in which nations respond to terror threats, he observed, emphasising on the need to take the partnership and cooperation between the FBI and the NIA to the next level to deal with the constantly evolving challenges and threats of terrorism.

While admitting that the threats in the cyber domain were increasing, Gupta said digital space was also being effectively exploited by terrorists and extremists for propagating radical views and recruitment. The NIA was  also seeing use of cryptocurrency for terrorist financing, he noted.

Pointing out how cybercrimes are being committed to fund terrorism, the FBI chief stressed that this evolution of the cyber-threat needs a joint response towards investigation of cyber-threat cases.

The two officials also discussed difficulties encountered by law enforcement agencies across the world in obtaining data from encryption apps.

“The two sides noted that with the advent of newer technologies at a fast pace, tracing, tracking and investigating crypto transactions is turning out to be a huge challenge. Both the agencies recognised the challenges posed by organised crime networks, terror related crimes, cyber enabled terror attacks, ransomware threats, economic crimes and transnational terror crimes,” the NIA statement further said.

It also claimed that Wray's visit signifies a step towards deepening the cooperation and shared commitment between the national agencies of the US and India to combat terror in all its manifestations around the globe.

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