WASHINGTON, October 9 (RIA Novosti) -The new FBI's campaign asking the US public to identify foreign fighter terrorists is one that is worth trying, but might be ineffective, a Washington-based counterterrorism consultant Michael B. Kraft told RIA Novosti Thursday.
"There's always the possibility of people putting in phony information or information that isn't accurate based on a hunch and guess," said Kraft.
Earlier this week the FBI has set up an online form for the public to submit tips that would give the bureau leads to potential foreign terrorists. The bureau is also asking the public to help identify an English speaking man in a recent Islamic State (IS) video segment with an American accent who is shown overseeing men dig their own graves before killing them.
"It's possible that people might be able to identify the people in the video by mannerism and voice, but it's hard to predict," said Kraft.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is an extremist group that has captured large parts of Syria and Iraq and proclaimed a caliphate on the territories under its control.
Earlier in October FBI Director James Comey told CBS that over 100 Americans have been caught trying to join IS or went to fight alongside IS militants and have returned.
On Saturday, a 19-year-old Mohammed Hamzah Khan, an American teenager from Chicago, was caught and arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport attempting to join IS. So far, Khan has been charged with one count of attempting to support a foreign terrorist.
The US Department of State predicted in August that some 12,000 fighters from 50 different nations are now fighting with IS. Those who are caught attempting to support a foreign terrorist organization face a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
