Jihadists Under Investigation

The system was blinking red for months prior to the June 12 terrorist attack in Orlando. Since early 2015, the FBI has repeatedly warned the American public that the threat of violent attacks is growing and that there are too many potential terrorists to track. Then Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim from Port St. Lucie, Florida, proved these warnings were anything but bluster. Using only firearms, Mateen killed 49 people and wounded dozens more at a popular gay nightclub.

The FBI's handling of Mateen will undoubtedly come under heavy scrutiny in the weeks ahead. FBI agents had investigated Mateen twice prior to the massacre at Pulse nightclub. Both times the bureau found troubling information but decided he was not a first-order threat. That assessment proved to be wrong—fatally so. The public needs to know what, if anything, the FBI could have done to stop the Orlando shooter.

This is a crucial question, especially because Omar Mateen was not the first terrorist to slip through the cracks, and it is reasonable to fear he won't be the last.

On at least four occasions since 2009, a jihadist has successfully carried out an attack in the United States after being investigated by the FBI. The shooting at Fort Hood, Texas (November 2009), the Boston Marathon bombings (April 2013), and the San Bernardino assault (December 2015) were all executed by terrorists who had been on the FBI's radar. The Orlando massacre is the fourth such instance. In each case, there was at least some incriminating information on the suspect, but the FBI determined it was not enough to prosecute or take other action.

During FBI director James Comey's press conference on June 13, the public learned some of what the FBI knew about Mateen before his night of terror. Mateen was first investigated in May 2013 after he made threatening comments to his coworkers. He was working as a security guard at a local courthouse at the time.