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Retired agent Brig Barker served in the FBI for twenty years. As a combat veteran and a highly respected linguist with full fluency in Arabic and a professional working proficiency in German, during his Bureau career Brig was frequently deployed overseas to work on major counterterrorism matters. From 1998 until his recent retirement, Brig was assigned to operational investigations in Nairobi, Kenya; Kampala, Uganda; Cairo, Egypt; London, England; Freetown, Sierra Leone; and Tunis, Tunisia; to name a few. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Brig Barker reviews his deployment to Sierra Leone, where he was tasked with officially opening the FBI Attaché office there and establishing liaison with local leaders and diamond merchants. He initiated the investigation in to allegations that profits from the sale of blood diamonds were being funneled to terrorist organizations. Allegedly, diamonds were being used for this purpose due to the gem’s high value and portability. Brig now operates his own global security consulting company, Counterterrorism Consultants International (ct-consultants.com). Brig also conducts free webinars regarding terrorism issues in America. UPDATE: Brig Barker is the author of The Dark Trajectory of Jihad: An FBI Agent’s Understanding of the Life, Mindset, and Intentions of Radical Extremists, an in-depth look at the ideological science behind what motivates jihadists in their pursuits and allows the reader to sit in the interview room with Al Qa’ida, ISIS, and Homegrown Violent Extremists and learn why they walk down this path of carnage.
Special Agent (Retired)
Brig Barker
7/9/1995 – 3/23/2016
Brig was deployed to Freetown, Sierra Leone in 2006 to establish the FBI’s presence in the country. The following are links to major news articles about the illicit blood diamond trade:
Al Qaeda Cash Tied to Diamond Trade
Why the Blood Diamond Trade Won’t Die
