Patel: FBI working to ‘zero out’ number of American hostages overseas

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is working to “zero out” the number of American hostages held captive overseas.

“My singular promise to you in this community is that I will do everything as the director of the FBI to marshal the resources necessary to make sure that no other American family feels that pain,” Patel said Thursday at a State Department ceremony that honored hostages and their families.

Patel said the Trump administration is working to bring home Americans from various countries, including Russia and Venezuela, as well as the remaining hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza, The Associated Press reported.

“We still don’t have everybody back,” he said. “Whatever lawful authorities we have at the FBI, we are going to give 24/7, 365 days to make sure that we zero out this number and to make sure we prevent others from going into situations that you are now all too familiar with.”

Last month American Marc Fogel was released from Russian detention after the Trump administration made a deal for a Russian citizen held in U.S. prison.

Part of the FBI’s responsibility is handling hostage cases with American citizens.

Adam Boehler, President Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs under the State Department, was also at the event, as he would be leading negotiations with foreign countries.

“When the president asked me if there was any job that I thought I wanted to focus on,” Boehler said at the event, “I told him that this was the only one I would look at because I think there’s nothing more important for this country than for everyone to know that if they’re abroad and they’re taken, that the country has their back.”