FBI Investigating ‘ISIS Suspects’ in All 50 States

Comey: Troubled Souls Attracted to 'Slick Propaganda'

Fresh off the FBI announcing the arrests of three people in Brooklyn, none of whom appeared to be planning anything until FBI informants convinced them to say they wanted to join ISIS, Director James Comey revealed the FBI is pulling this sort of operation nationwide.

“This isn’t a New York phenomenon or a Washington phenomenon. This is all 50 states and in all ways,” Comey said, saying the targets are “in various stages of radicalizing.”

Comey went on to say that ISIS “slick propaganda” that “resonates with troubled souls, people seeking meaning in some horribly misguided way.” Earlier this month he said investigations were ongoing in every state but Alaska, but now insists it is all 50 states.

The FBI has first-hand knowledge of the allure of ISIS propaganda, because their informants seem to be among the heaviest purveyors of it in the United States, hoping to suck in people they find on social media and then arresting them in the ensuing sting.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.