On Wednesday, Attorney General Barr co-chaired the EU-US Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting.  The Attorney General opened the Ministerial by noting that the meeting demonstrated a united and coordinated front against terrorists and other criminal groups, noting the practical steps taken together by the U.S. and the EU: increasing the sharing of identity information and evidence regarding foreign terrorist fighters collected by U.S. military and coalition forces on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, working together to promote cybersecurity and fighting cybercrime, strengthening our electoral systems and protecting them from foreign interests by sharing experiences and efforts, and collaborating to bring down dark markets used to traffic weapons, drugs, and all forms of criminality. On aviation, drone and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense (CBRN) threats, the Attorney General noted that the FBI – in its role as our lead counterterrorism investigative agency – works closely with European agencies to share threat information and stated he looks forward to deepening those partnerships. The Attorney General also discussed successful US-EU efforts in addressing criminal smuggling organizations, noting that DOJ’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT) and International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) established, mentored, and equipped a number of anti-smuggling task forces and investigations in the region – including Serbia’s migrant smuggling task force – with significant results in terms of arrests and seizures. The Ministerial participants noted in particular the success of Operation Passport, an international law enforcement partnership fighting terrorism, human trafficking and migrant smuggling among Europol, OPDAT, ICITAP, State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, DHS, and the FBI, resulting in over 200 law enforcement operations, with 190 evidentiary reports to support prosecution.
The United States Department of Justice
2019-06-19
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