Category: Fbi
Dan Bongino officially leaves the FBI, returns to civilian life
Dan Bongino served his final day as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday, returning to civilian life on Sunday after less than a year of public service.
Bongino first announced mid-December that he would be departing from the bureau in the New Year. On Saturday, Bongino made his departure official, signing off in a post on X.
‘I gave up everything for this.’
“It was a busy last day on the job,” Bongino said. “This will be my last post on this account. Tomorrow I return to civilian life.”
“It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump,” Bongino added. “It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side.”
RELATED: Trump suggests Dan Bongino will leave the FBI: ‘He wants to go back to his show’
Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
President Donald Trump praised Bongino, who first assumed office in March.
“Dan did a great job,” Trump said. “I think he wants to go back to his show.”
Ahead of his departure, Bongino spoke about the toll his job had taken on his personal life and his family, pointing to the demanding nature of the position.
RELATED: Bongino and Bondi clash over botched handling of Epstein files
“I gave up everything for this,” Bongino told “Fox & Friends” in a May appearance.
“I stare at these four walls all day in D.C., by myself, divorced from my wife — not divorced, but I mean separated — and it’s hard,” Bongino added. “I mean, we love each other, and it’s hard to be apart.”
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Dan Bongino officially leaves the FBI, returns to civilian life
Dan Bongino served his final day as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday, returning to civilian life on Sunday after less than a year of public service.
Bongino first announced mid-December that he would be departing from the bureau in the New Year. On Saturday, Bongino made his departure official, signing off in a post on X.
‘I gave up everything for this.’
“It was a busy last day on the job,” Bongino said. “This will be my last post on this account. Tomorrow I return to civilian life.”
“It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump,” Bongino added. “It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side.”
RELATED: Trump suggests Dan Bongino will leave the FBI: ‘He wants to go back to his show’
Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
President Donald Trump praised Bongino, who first assumed office in March.
“Dan did a great job,” Trump said. “I think he wants to go back to his show.”
Ahead of his departure, Bongino spoke about the toll his job had taken on his personal life and his family, pointing to the demanding nature of the position.
RELATED: Bongino and Bondi clash over botched handling of Epstein files
“I gave up everything for this,” Bongino told “Fox & Friends” in a May appearance.
“I stare at these four walls all day in D.C., by myself, divorced from my wife — not divorced, but I mean separated — and it’s hard,” Bongino added. “I mean, we love each other, and it’s hard to be apart.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Dan Bongino officially leaves the FBI, returns to civilian life
Dan Bongino served his final day as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday, returning to civilian life on Sunday after less than a year of public service.
Bongino first announced mid-December that he would be departing from the bureau in the New Year. On Saturday, Bongino made his departure official, signing off in a post on X.
‘I gave up everything for this.’
“It was a busy last day on the job,” Bongino said. “This will be my last post on this account. Tomorrow I return to civilian life.”
“It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump,” Bongino added. “It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side.”
RELATED: Trump suggests Dan Bongino will leave the FBI: ‘He wants to go back to his show’
Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
President Donald Trump praised Bongino, who first assumed office in March.
“Dan did a great job,” Trump said. “I think he wants to go back to his show.”
Ahead of his departure, Bongino spoke about the toll his job had taken on his personal life and his family, pointing to the demanding nature of the position.
RELATED: Bongino and Bondi clash over botched handling of Epstein files
“I gave up everything for this,” Bongino told “Fox & Friends” in a May appearance.
“I stare at these four walls all day in D.C., by myself, divorced from my wife — not divorced, but I mean separated — and it’s hard,” Bongino added. “I mean, we love each other, and it’s hard to be apart.”
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18-year-old ISIS sympathizer who allegedly planned New Year’s Eve terror attack in North Carolina is arrested
A North Carolina man who allegedly planned to use knives and hammers for a New Year’s Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in support of ISIS was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, federal officials said Friday.
The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina said a criminal complaint was filed Wednesday and unsealed Friday after Christian Sturdivant appeared in federal court in Charlotte. Sturdivant turned 18 just two weeks ago, according to jail records.
‘May Allah curse the cross worshipers.’
“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added that “the accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year’s Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that.”
The FBI in Charlotte on Dec. 18 received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to allegations in the arrest affidavit.
Sturdivant in early December posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with on-screen text that read, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers,” officials said. The post allegedly is consistent with ISIS rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS’ extreme ideology.
Image source: Department of Justice
The criminal complaint alleges that Sturdivant on or about Dec. 12 began communicating with an online covert employee, or “OC,” whom Sturdivant believed was an ISIS member, officials said.
Sturdivant told the OC, “I will do jihad soon” and proclaimed he was “a soldier of the state,” meaning ISIS, officials said, adding that on Dec. 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent an online message to the OC with an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS’ propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in Western countries, officials said, adding that the article inspired actual attacks in other countries. Later, Sturdivant told the OC that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina, officials said. Sturdivant also told the OC about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.
What’s more, officials said Sturdivant on Dec. 19 allegedly sent the OC a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging “Bayat,” which is a loyalty oath to ISIS.
On Dec. 29, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence, where they discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Years Attack 2026,” officials said.
RELATED: FBI stops radical pro-Palestinian New Year’s Eve terror plot: Report
Image source: Department of Justice
The document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly to be used in the attack, officials said, adding that it also described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with the total number of victims to be as high as 20 to 21.
The note also included a section labeled as “martyrdom op,” which described a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr, officials said.
RELATED: Trans-identifying radicals among those arrested in alleged planned New Year’s Eve terror plot
The complaint alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative who secured knives and hammers so Sturdivant could not use them for harm, officials said. Yet, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives which appeared hidden underneath the defendant’s bed, officials said. These items appear to be the ones depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC, officials said.
Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant’s planned attack, officials said.
Sturdivant remains in federal custody, officials said, adding that he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. He was behind bars Friday night at the Gaston County Jail with no bond.
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BONGINO ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE: FBI Deputy Director to Leave in January, Trump Says ‘He Did a Great Job’ [WATCH]
![BONGINO ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE: FBI Deputy Director to Leave in January, Trump Says ‘He Did a Great Job’ [WATCH]](https://hannity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2249306792-300x200.jpg "AG Bondi and FBI Director Patel Hold Press Conference On Jan. 6 Pipe Bomber")
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is heading for the exit.
EMAILS EXPOSED! FBI Doubted Probable Cause for Raid on Mar-a-Lago, Pressured By Biden DOJ
The FBI didn’t believe it had probable cause to raid President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 — but moved forward anyway under pressure from the Biden Justice Department, newly declassified emails reveal.
FBI stops radical pro-Palestinian New Year’s Eve terror plot: Report
Federal authorities reportedly disrupted a New Year’s Eve terror plot by arresting several alleged members of a pro-Palestinian extremist group.
The FBI told Fox News Digital that the bureau captured four alleged members of an extremist subgroup of the Turtle Island Liberation Front.
‘The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles.’
FBI Director Kash Patel described the arrested individuals as members of “a radical offshoot” that is “motivated by pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology.”
According to Patel, the suspects were planning coordinated improvised-explosive-device attacks on New Year’s Eve at five locations across Los Angeles, California.
Federal agents arrested the suspects in Lucerne Valley, where they were allegedly preparing to test explosive devices ahead of the attack, Fox News Digital reported.
The arrested individuals were charged with conspiracy and possession of a destructive device.
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Patel announced that FBI New Orleans arrested a fifth individual believed to be tied to the subgroup who was also allegedly planning a separate attack.
The FBI director credited investigators and law enforcement partners for saving “countless lives.”
FBI Los Angeles is expected to hold a press conference on Monday to provide additional details to the public.
RELATED: How Trump can dismantle far-left extremist networks
Pam Bondi. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
“After an intense investigation, the Department of Justice, working with our @FBI, prevented what would have been a massive and horrific terror plot in the Central District of California (Orange County and Los Angeles),” Attorney General Pam Bondi stated. “The Turtle Island Liberation Front — a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group — was preparing to conduct a series of bombings against multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve. The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles.”
“PROTECT THE HOMELAND and CRUSH VIOLENT CRIME. These words are not slogans, they’re the investigative pillars of this FBI,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said.
“Thank you to our dedicated law enforcement and DOJ partners for the collaborative effort. God bless America, and all those who defend Her [sic].”
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