Kash Patel’s FBI Temporarily Cut Contact With Canadian Police Over CBC’s 9/11 ‘Terrorist’ Policy

FBI Director Kash Patel temporarily halted cooperation with Canadian law enforcement after objecting to CBC News' guidelines for describing the September 11 attacks as "terrorism," according to The New York Times. FBI officials canceled meetings with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and indicated they would be out of contact for an unspecified period, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.

The pause did not cease all collaboration between the FBI and RCMP; other U.S. government branches continued sharing intelligence with Canada. The dispute began after CBC circulated guidance grounded in its policy of attributing the terms "terrorism" and "terrorist" to experts or officials rather than applying them independently.

Patel threatened repercussions for Canadian agencies and emphasized the controversy's publication in two August posts on X. He asserted that agencies not publicly rejecting the guidance would no longer have an ally in the FBI, labeling the policy a distortion of history and an insult to 9/11 victims. CBC, editorially independent from the Canadian government, updated its guidance on August 28, allowing journalists to describe the attacks as terrorism without attribution.

Twenty-four Canadians were among the nearly 3,000 killed in the attacks. "Neither the U.S. government nor the FBI contacted us about our language guidance," CBC Head of Public Affairs Chuck Thompson told TheWrap. The RCMP stated that they value their relationship with U.S. counterparts, working closely to respond to national security threats and maintain situational awareness. The FBI declined to comment to TheWrap.