Attorney General Jeff Sessions traveled to the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, for the annual Meeting of the Quintet of Attorneys General and Five Country Ministerial of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The focus of the Quintet meeting was on matters of common concern, including cybercrime, encryption, and countering violent extremism.
“I am very excited by the spirit and determination of our allies to take aggressive action to confront the terrorist threats. Increased collaboration, cooperation, and communication is essential to the fight against terrorism and transnational criminal organizations,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “This meeting of the Quintet of Attorneys General provides the setting for our closest allies with similar legal systems to discuss the steps we are taking to combat new avenues of radicalization, which is crucial to the safety and security of nations with shared values.” Recent attacks in Europe emphasize the growing threat posed by ISIS’ radicalization of foreign terrorist fighters. It is essential that we use every lawful tool to prevent as many attacks as possible and to defeat these terrorist organizations. The Quintet ultimately seeks to improve methods to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from inspiring, radicalizing, financing, and recruiting individuals to commit acts of violence.
The Quintet also focused on the human trafficking crisis, a crime which the Department of Justice has increasingly encountered being committed by transnational criminal organizations. The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit within the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division works closely with our foreign partners to investigate and prosecute these organizations that are also involved in money laundering and visa fraud.
Source: US Department of Justice
