William Sweeney, Jr., counterterrorism and counterintelligence pro, named special agent in charge of FBI New York

William Sweeney, Jr. has been named by FBI Director James Comey as the special agent in charge of the counterterrorism division of the New York Field Office.

Sweeney most recently served as the special assistant to the FBI’s deputy director at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC.

Sweeney entered on duty with the FBI in 1998 and was assigned to a public corruption squad at the Newark Field Office that conducted investigations in the Hudson County area. In 2004, he transferred to the Al Qaeda squad on the division’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and was later promoted to squad supervisor.

While assigned to the JTTF, he simultaneously served as the supervisor of the division’s evidence response team and as a crisis manager. In March 2009, he was promoted to assistant section chief of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, international terrorism operations section 1, at the National Counterterrorism Center in northern Virginia. In this role, he oversaw international terrorism investigations conducted throughout the continental United States.

In 2010, Sweeney received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service and the National Intelligence Exceptional Service Medal for his role in Operation High Rise, the investigation that successfully disrupted a core Al Qaeda cell trained and deployed to conduct a mass casualty attack against the New York subway system. He also received the National Intelligence Exceptional Service Medal.

In October 2010, Sweeney returned to Newark as an assistant special agent in charge and was initially responsible for overseeing the division’s criminal enterprise branch, such as investigations targeting violent crime, gangs, drug trafficking, organized crime, and international criminal enterprises. In December 2011, Mr. Sweeney assumed leadership of the national security branch within the division. In this role, he managed the JTTF and counterintelligence matters throughout New Jersey.

Before joining the FBI, Sweeney served in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf. A Philadelphia-area native, he is a graduate of Villanova University and has a bachelor’s degree in political science. He has a master’s degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School.