Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
17h ago

FBI Opens Standalone Office in Wellington and Broadens Pacific Reach

Calls for greater transparency have emerged after FBI Director Kash Patel’s unannounced Sydney stopover

FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Trump's proposed budget request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • The new attaché office replaces a 2017 sub-office, taking charge of FBI operations in New Zealand, Antarctica, Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands and Tonga.
  • Director Kash Patel flew to Wellington on July 31 to inaugurate the permanent office and meet with key New Zealand ministers.
  • Officials say the upgrade will deepen U.S.–New Zealand efforts to counter Chinese influence, cyber intrusions, narcotics trafficking and transnational crime.
  • Defence Minister Judith Collins and Police Minister Mark Mitchell welcomed the expansion as a boost to national and regional security.
  • Patel’s unannounced July 29 visit to Sydney, where he dined with Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, has drawn calls for clearer disclosure of high-level security trips.