APNewsBreak: FBI reviews handling of terrorism-related tips

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has been reviewing the handling of thousands of terrorism-related tips and leads from the past three years to make sure they were properly investigated and no obvious red flags were missed, The Associated Press has learned.

Though there's no indication of significant flaws in how terrorism inquiries are opened and closed, the review is a way for the FBI to "refine and adapt to the threat, and part of that is always making sure you cover your bases," said the law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name.

The pace of the FBI's counterterrorism work accelerated with the rise of the Islamic State group, which in 2014 declared the creation of its so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq and has used sophisticated propaganda to lure disaffected Westerners to its cause.

Social media outreach by IS has appealed to people not previously known to the FBI but also enticed some who once had been under scrutiny to get "back in the game," said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University's Program on Extremism.

The review covers inquiries the FBI internally classifies as "assessments" — the lowest level, least intrusive and most elementary stage of a terror-related inquiry — and is examining ones from the past three years to make sure all appropriate investigative avenues were followed, according to a former federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the process.

FBI guidelines meant to balance national security with civil liberties protections impose restrictions on the steps agents may take during the assessment phase.

[...] they cannot turn to more intrusive techniques, such as requesting a wiretap or internet communications, without higher levels of approval and a more solid basis to suspect a crime or national security threat.