Trending Now - FBI Counterintelligence Team Restructured Amid Iran Tensions

WHO:

FBI Director Kash Patel

President Trump

Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Pete Hegseth, War Secretary

Ndiaga Diagne, 53-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal

Austin Police Department

Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF)

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

WHAT:

Kash Patel fired a dozen agents and staff members from the FBI's counterintelligence unit (CI-12) days before U.S. military operations in Iran.

The CI-12 unit was involved in investigations related to President Trump’s alleged retention of classified documents.

The Justice Department and FBI have experienced a mass exodus of national security experts due to these firings.

A DHS memo warned of potential cyber and lone wolf attacks amid U.S. strikes on Iran.

On March 2, 2026, U.S. tomahawk missiles struck Iranian naval forces, and American bombers targeted underground Iranian facilities.

Ndiaga Diagne allegedly killed three people and injured 14 others in a shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, on March 1, 2026.

The FBI and DOJ have investigated numerous national security and terrorism-related cases in the past year.

WHERE:

Washington, D.C. (FBI headquarters)

Iran (site of U.S. military operations)

Austin, Texas (location of the shooting incident)

WHEN:

March 1, 2026: Shooting incident in Austin, Texas.

March 2, 2026: U.S. military strikes against Iran.

August 2025: An unclassified report on Iranian threats was written.

Early in the Trump administration: Dismantling of the National Security Division began.

WHY:

The firings from the FBI's CI-12 unit were reportedly due to the agents' involvement in investigations related to President Trump.

The U.S. military operations aimed to prevent Iran from projecting power outside its borders and to stop the production of nuclear weapons.

HOW:

The FBI remains on high alert, mobilizing resources and instructing counterterrorism and intelligence teams to prepare for potential threats.

The DHS memo indicated a focus on lower-level cyberattacks and violence in response to the military actions against Iran.

In a significant move, FBI Director Kash Patel fired a dozen agents from the counterintelligence unit just days before U.S. military operations in Iran, which included strikes on Iranian naval forces and underground facilities on March 2. Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, Ndiaga Diagne allegedly carried out a shooting at a bar on March 1, killing three people and injuring 14 others, prompting investigations by the FBI and DOJ into national security and terrorism-related cases. As tensions rise, the Department of Homeland Security has issued a memo warning of potential cyber and lone wolf attacks in light of the recent military actions.