The FBI Struggles to Identify Radical Islamic Recruits

The U.S. faces a tough hurdle in identifying Americans seeking to join Islamic extremists in part because there is “no typical profile” of those seeking to join the fight, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said on Monday.

Federal law-enforcement officials have become increasingly concerned about the threat posed by Americans and other holders of Western passports who travel to join extremist groups in Syria, especially Islamic State.

Mr. Comey said such people range in age from teenagers to 63-year-olds and come from all ethnic groups and walks of life.

“The challenge of the traveler phenomenon is there’s no typical profile,” he said in response to an audience question after delivering a speech at Fordham Law School here. “As best we can determine, the common feature is they are troubled souls who are seeking some kind of meaning in their life.”

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said it would begin collecting more information from travelers coming to the U.S. from countries whose citizens don’t need visas. That includes many European countries, from which thousands of citizens have traveled to Syria. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said the U.S. would begin asking for more passport data, contact information and other names or aliases. Such information could be used to conduct more thorough checks against government watch lists.

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