| High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group | |
|---|---|
Seal of the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group
| |
| Active | August 2009 – present[1] (14 years) |
| Country | United States |
| Agency | Federal Bureau of Investigation Central Intelligence Agency Department of Defense |
| Part of | National Security Branch (administrative) |
| Abbreviation | HIG |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lawrence Buckley[2] |
| Notable commanders | Eli Miranda[3]
George Piro[4] |
The High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) is a U.S. three-agency intelligence-gathering entity that brings together intelligence professionals from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the United States Department of Defense (DoD).[6][7] It is administratively housed within the FBI's National Security Branch.[8]
The HIG was created by President Barack Obama in August 2009 with its charter written in April 2010.[9][10] It was established to question terrorism suspects soon after their arrests, to quickly obtain information about accomplices and terrorism threats.[10]
The group was to be responsible for interrogations overseas.[11] In January 2010, the Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said that the group would begin interrogating people in the U.S. as well.[11] The HIG claims to use authorized, lawful, non-coercive techniques and conducts research on the effectiveness of interrogation techniques and provides training for their interrogators, other U.S. Intelligence Community and law enforcement partners and allies abroad.[7]
The HIG is administered by the FBI.[6] The Director of the HIG is an FBI representative with two deputies, one from the DoD and the other from the CIA.[6] The HIG is subject to oversight by the National Security Council, the Department of Justice, and by Congress.[6][10]
The group's creation stopped a bureaucratic war between the CIA and the FBI over who had responsibility for interrogations.[9][12]
HIG questioned Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-American citizen responsible for the 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt,[10] Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,[13] and Benghazi terror suspect Ahmed Abu Khattala.
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