381: William Peterson – Kenya Kidnapping, Most Wanted Terrorist Sajid Mir

In this episode of FBI Case File Review, retire agent William Peterson reviews his kidnapping investigation where two American businessmen in Kenya where held for ransom and his assistance in the capture and identification of terrorist Sajid Mir, a senior member of the Pakistan-based Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT). Mir is on the FBI Most Wanted list for his leading role in the planning, preparation, and execution of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.

The ultimate goal of any kidnapping or hostage-taking investigation is recovery of your victims, number one. Everything else is secondary. The Kenyan kidnapping, hostage-taking was a career case. It was just an extraordinary experience that really set the foundation for me wanting to work overseas.

Having facilitated the capture of a wanted FBI terrorism subject was something that was meaningful for me. I sat right next to Sajid Mir, and he wasn’t what I expected the most wanted terrorist to look like. He was extremely well-groomed. He had a manicure. His hair was well combed. He was well-dressed. He was actually wearing cologne. He’s not what I saw in Iraq and Afghanistan. You know, real battlefield terrorists.—Retired Agent William Peterson

These were just two of the significant investigations William worked during his FBI counterterrorism and international law enforcement career.

Special Agent (Retired)

William Peterson

8/1999 – 10/2022

William Peterson served in the FBI for 23 years. His first assignment was to the FBI’s Violent Crime and Major Offenders Task Force in the San Diego Division. However, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he transitioned to the counterterrorism squad. He next worked in Baghdad on an FBI task force addressing regime crimes and terrorism. Later serving as a supervisory special agent at FBIHQ in the Counterterrorism Division, Extra Territorial Investigations Unit, where he worked with European authorities to track and dismantle terrorist networks and plots, including preventing a major terrorist plot in Europe.

He deployed to Afghanistan as deputy on-scene commander for international terrorism, working on a task force integrating intelligence collection efforts with the U.S. Military and Joint Forces Command for Afghanistan Theater Operations.

He then accepted assignments as the Legal Attaché (Legat) in Greece (2011-2013) and Switzerland (2018-2021), where he expanded the bureau’s international reach. His office in Switzerland became the FBI’s top-performing overseas operation, leading to the capture of cybercriminal Vladislav Kliushin and establishing new cybersecurity cooperation between Switzerland and the U.S.

As the Legat in Islamabad (2021-2022), William managed operations against ISIS-K and Al Qaeda following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. He coordinated the evacuation of 27 Afghan families to Pakistan. This is where he facilitated the capture of Sajid Mir, wanted for orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

William specialized in building international partnerships and leading multi-agency teams. He instructed training on major incident response to law enforcement and intelligence officials in Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Northern Macedonia.