Every terror attack is sickening, says MI5 head at FBI director’s leaving event
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MI5’s director general has said every terrorist attack is “sickening” during a speech in Washington celebrating the outgoing FBI director. Sir Ken McCallum, who was knighted in the latest New Year Honours, made the remarks at a leaving event for FBI director Christopher Wray at the FBI headquarters on Friday.
He said he and Mr Wray have worked together “incredibly closely on counter-terrorism” over the years. “Every attack is sickening to us as human beings – and, as those in this room and dialled in know well, is sickening in a very particular way to those of us who have made it our life’s work to defeat terrorists and their evil ideologies”, Sir Ken said.
He added: “MI5 and the FBI, and therefore Chris and I, have worked together incredibly closely on counter-terrorism down the years. We stand together, at all times.”. In December, Mr Wray announced that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January.
It came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump declared his intention to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job. Mr Trump appointed Mr Wray for the 10-year term in 2017 but the FBI chief quickly fell out of favour with the then-president and his allies.
The president-elect has publicly criticised him and the FBI on multiple occasions, including after a search of his Florida property for classified documents and two investigations that resulted in his indictment. During the same event on Friday, Mr Wray said the FBI must remain independent, above the partisan fray and “committed to upholding the rule of law”.
