Head Of Minneapolis FBI Office To Help Lead Counterterrorism Division

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The head of the FBI's field office in Minnesota has been named assistant director of the agency's counterterrorism division, the FBI announced Wednesday.

Jill Sanborn has been the special agent in charge of the Minneapolis field office since 2018, where she has overseen operations in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. High-profile cases under her watch include the recovery of a pair of stolen ruby slippers that had been worn by Judy Garland during filming of "The Wizard of Oz."

Sanborn joined the FBI in 1998 and has spent most of her career working in counterterrorism. As an assistant special agent in charge of the Los Angeles field office, she led the investigation into the 2015 San Bernadino terror attack that killed 14 people. In 2016, she became section chief in the FBI's counterterrorism division and was responsible for overseeing all counterterrorism investigations overseas.

Sanborn has also served on the counterterrorism division's fly team and was deployed to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Pakistan. She has spent time on a detail to the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, and has also served as unit chief in the FBI's counterterrorism division.

Sanborn will report to FBI headquarters in mid-February. Her replacement in Minnesota has not been named.