FBI Director Kash Patel told US lawmakers on 16 September 2026 that the bureau had prevented 1,100 individuals from carrying out terrorist attacks on American soil and arrested 4,260 people linked to foreign terrorist organisations over the past 18 months. The figures were presented during an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington.

Key Numbers at the Hearing

Patel told the committee that arrests tied to foreign terrorist organisation affiliates had surged 38 per cent compared with the preceding 18-month period. Criminal arrests overall rose 80 per cent and violent crime arrests climbed 90 per cent since he assumed office, according to figures cited by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley.

'We, this FBI, have arrested 4,260 foreign terrorist organization related affiliates,' Patel said. 'That's up 38 percent, including the fact that this FBI has stopped 1,100 criminal perpetrators from committing terrorist attacks on US soil.'

Recent Operations Highlighted

Patel cited several recent actions as evidence of the bureau's operational tempo. The FBI arrested eight extremists who allegedly plotted to kill elected officials, military personnel, and civilians at an event near the White House. Separately, five suspects from three states were arrested in connection with what Patel described as the 'Pumpkin Day plot' in Michigan — an alleged plan to carry out a bombing.

During December of last year alone, the bureau reportedly thwarted four terrorist attacks across California, Texas, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. The FBI also recently arrested a suspect accused of planning an attack inspired by the Islamic State group in Pittsburgh.

'These attacks did not happen because the FBI and our partners worked around the clock, found the threats, and stopped them,' Patel said.

Biometrics, AI and International Cooperation

Patel outlined a broader modernisation push inside the bureau. The FBI expanded the collection of biometric data — including facial recognition records and iris scans — through cooperation with foreign governments, aimed at identifying suspects before they reach the United States.

The agency also scaled up its use of artificial intelligence. The number of FBI test cases involving AI grew from 2 to 140 since Patel took office, he said. The bureau additionally cleared a backlog of 1.8 million DNA samples at its laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

Direct engagement with foreign law enforcement agencies facilitated the transfer of 86 suspects into US custody and the extradition of 157 others, Patel said. 'That means 86 violent offenders, criminals, terrorists, narcotraffickers, gang bangers and predators of children were brought back here for prosecution,' he told the committee.

Political Pushback from Democrats

Democrats on the panel sharply challenged Patel's account. Senator Richard Durbin, the committee's ranking Democrat, accused him of directing FBI resources toward President Donald Trump's political priorities at the expense of other criminal and national security investigations.

'Under Mr. Patel's failed leadership, decades of efforts to modernize and reform the FBI are being undone, and the bureau has been reshaped as a political weapon against President Trump's political enemies and a shield to protect the president and his MAGA loyalists, not the American people,' Durbin said.

The exchange reflects a deepening partisan divide over the direction of the bureau under Patel, who is the first Indian-American to lead the FBI. Counterterrorism and intelligence sharing are also key pillars of the India-US security relationship, with agencies from both countries cooperating against extremist networks and transnational crime.