To assist combat China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific, crack down on concerns like cybercrime, and improve security for the Five Eyes countries, FBI director Kash Patel launched the bureau’s first-ever post in New Zealand. Patel referred to the occasion as a “historic moment” when he launched the office at the US embassy in Wellington on Thursday.
Since 2017, the FBI has maintained a presence in Wellington as a sub-office of the legal attaché office located in Canberra, Australia’s capital. Partnerships in New Zealand, Antarctica, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands, and Tonga will fall under the purview of the new office.
The most senior member of the US government to visit New Zealand since the beginning of Trump’s second term in office is Patel, an ally of the president who has garnered media attention recently due to the Epstein scandal. He met with top government officials during his tour, including the ministers and leaders of the nation’s espionage, foreign, and police forces.
Patel and Judith Collins, the minister in charge of New Zealand’s intelligence agencies, “exchanged a range of insights” on topics including cybersecurity, espionage, transnational organized crime, and counterterrorism.
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