'Portland is as big a target ... as any other place'

For Greg Bretzing, the special agent in charge of Portland's FBI office, fighting terrorism is the continuation of work he's done for the last 20 years with the agency.

"Portland is as big a target and as vulnerable as any other place," said Bretzing.

Given the recent bloodshed in Paris, Bretzing offers these words of caution on the capability of ISIS striking in the United States.

"There's a very real threat and our No. 1 priority is to ensure that an attack does not occur on U.S. soil. Now, we have to be right 100 percent of the time to stop an attack from happening," he explained.

Speaking from Portland's FBI headquarters in Northeast Portland, Bretzing describes how the tools modern terrorists are using have evolved -- from the ways they communicate and the platforms they use to the encryption they employ.

"Not too long ago it was cellphones and computers. You can now communicate on Xboxes or a variety of apps that contain a significant sophisticated amount of encryption. That makes tracking very difficult," he said.

But in other parts of world, the means by which terrorists kill and injure people have stayed relatively the same, whether it's airplanes with the Russian jet or suicide bombings.

Bretzing says it all comes down to access. And when they start talking about sophisticated attacks, "the way we look at it and many times, it's not the sophistication of the weaponry, but it's the coordination and the sophistication of the coordination."

He explains how you may have someone pulling the trigger or detonating the device but there is a network of individuals who are supporting that person logistically, financially, through communications and other means.

Bretzing's assignments have included a 4-month stint in Afghanistan where he served as the bureau's on scene commander. After Sept. 11, his work was instrumental in tracing funds used by the hijackers to carry out the attack.

Asked to define America's enemy, Bretzing pauses and says, "I'll tell you who's not our enemy. The greater Muslim community is not our enemy."

He says the FBI works very closely with a wide spectrum of groups in Oregon, including religious organizations and immigrant communities. They meet often and discuss issues to build mutual trust.

As a security matter, he points out, "They may be the very first ones to recognize something that's not right or someone who's not here for what the vast majority of them are here for."

And he says the vast majority of immigrants are in America to pursue better lives, better jobs and happiness.

Will the FBI play a role in vetting Syrian refugees who relocate to Oregon? He says the bureau has a large records division devoted to doing background checks when people want to buy weapons, become teachers or enter the United States.

"We'll do those checks to determine if there's anything that would be alarming or that would disqualify them from either a job or buying a gun or entering our country," said Bretzing.

Asked about the difficulty of checking backgrounds of Syrians who may not have much documentation, Bretzing says other federal agencies are primarily responsible for vetting immigrants.

He says we can all be vigilant by looking for and reporting suspicious behaviors, especially at large public gatherings. For example, we should speak up if we see someone setting a backpack or satchel down and walking away and it seems abnormal in that setting.

But he emphasizes that we should focus on behaviors, not skin color. He points out examples of domestic terrorism committed by people born and raised in the United States, like the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City carried out by Timothy McVeigh.

"We need to make sure that regardless of what's happening and those who are intent on doing us harm, they don't then start hacking the root of what makes us great, which is the diversity we have in our communities."

ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmpaeTlrlwtMSam2anlmK9pcSMn5miZaCkv7W4wKebZqGjYq60ecGinmaZXamus7PErWRmmaNirq%2FFjKiroZ2iYr2trcKeZGppXWd%2Fbn6Pamw%3D