FBI chief vows to 'zero out' population of Americans detained or held hostage overseas

ISTANBUL

FBI Director Kash Patel pledged Thursday to eliminate the number of Americans detained or held hostage abroad, vowing to dedicate all necessary resources to bringing them home.

"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," said Patel, speaking at a State Department ceremony honoring hostages and their families.

Patel also highlighted ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to secure the release of Americans detained in Russia and Venezuela and those still held captive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.

"We still don’t have everybody back," he acknowledged. "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, the administration secured the release of American Marc Fogel from Russian detention through a prisoner exchange.

Patel reaffirmed the FBI’s role in handling hostage cases, emphasizing its responsibility to protect US citizens abroad.

President Donald Trump's envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, also spoke at the event, underscoring the administration’s commitment.

"When the president asked me if there was any job that I thought I wanted to focus on, 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," he said.