FBI to open standalone office in Wellington
Photo:
MARCO BELLO
The FBI will be setting up a permanent office in New Zealand's capital, after the director Kash Patel met with several ministers, the heads of the police and New Zealand's spy agencies.
The US Embassy in Wellington confirmed in a statement plans for a "dedicated law enforcement attaché office" in the city.
"While the FBI has stationed personnel in New Zealand for several years, establishing a full Legat position in the country will strengthen and enhance the long-standing cooperation with a key Five Eyes partner in the southwestern Pacific region," the statement said.
"This new upgraded office will continue to work with our New Zealand partners to address shared priority areas through joint investigations, information sharing, and capacity-building.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
"It will work to investigate and disrupt a wide range of threats and criminal activities including terrorism, cybercrime and fraud, organized crime and money laundering, child exploitation, and foreign intelligence threats.
"It will have responsibility for partnerships in New Zealand, Antarctica, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands, and Tonga."
Patel was spotted in the Beehive basement on Wednesday afternoon.
The statement confirmed he had met with Ministers Judith Collins, Mark Mitchell, and Winston Peters, as well as Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, Director-General of the NZSIS Andrew Hampton, and Director-General of the GCSB Andrew Clark.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
Chambers said their meeting included discussion of law enforcement initiatives.
"He is here and I will be meeting with him," he said.
"We are very fortunate to have the director in New Zealand so early in his tenure of what is a very high profile position and very influential.
"I will be having some of my staff who have also been through programmes run by the FBI over many years meeting with him and with me to acknowledge their contribution to policing here in New Zealand."
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