FBI Opens First Joint Terrorism Task Force in Kenya

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigations has opened the first Joint Terrorism Task Force partnership outside the country, with Kenya.

A statement released by the Department of States on Monday said the task force will be a multi-agency counterterrorism investigative force.

“The Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation have partnered together to assist Kenya in creating the first Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) to be located outside of the United States. This Kenyan-led JTTF will be a multi-agency counterterrorism investigative force in Nairobi, Kenya,” said part of the statement.

FBI has involved in thousands of investigations outside US, including in Uganda, but has never established a formal partnership with any investigative bureau.

The establishment, according to Washington, started after the January 2019 terrorist attack on a hotel in Nairobi which claimed 21 lives including an American and a British.

“The initiative to establish a Kenyan Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF-K) began after the al-Shabaab terrorist attack on the DusitD2 Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya on January 16, 2019,” said the statement.

Washington believes the attack by Somali based Islamic militants presented a pressing need for a JTTF that could be met through FBI’s training expertise combined with the State Department Bureau of Counterterrorism’s (CT Bureau) capacity building efforts.

In the program, 42 selected Kenyan investigators will receive a 12-week intensive counterterrorism training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The FBI will administer the curriculum and provide training with assistance from other agencies, as applicable. FBI and the CT Bureau will collaboratively assess the program.

The team is expected to adopt methodologies used by U.S.-based JTTFs and be trained to handle sensitive counterterrorism intelligence shared with the Kenyan government. The investigators will also be trained and equipped to investigate all terrorism matters deemed of significant importance to Kenya’s National Security Council.  Upon completion of the course, the JTTF-K officers will return to Kenya, where they will be assisted by an FBI Special Agent mentor.

The program will observe international law enforcement standards and human rights doctrines.

“Investigations conducted by JTTF-K will be carried out in accordance with international law enforcement standards and in comportment with human rights.  Legal authorities will be derived from the Kenyan Constitution and International Treaties.”

Cases arising from the investigation will be prosecuted in Kenya courts to promotes the U.S. goal of enabling foreign partners to successfully counter terrorist threats.

The JTTF-K is to be funded by the Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism under the Counterterrorism Partnership Fund, which was established by Congress to build the law enforcement capacity of partner nations on the frontlines of terrorism.  It is part of a comprehensive program with Kenya to promote terrorism investigations and prosecutions, enhance crisis response, and strengthen border security.