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Paul M. Abbate, a veteran FBI agent who has extensive experience in counterterrorism, has been named head of the Detroit FBI, Deadline Detroit has learned.
Abbate, replaces Robert Foley III, who recently transferred to Florida. John Shoup has been the acting head of the office in Detroit since Foley's departure.
The FBI office in Detroit said Abbate will begin work here on Nov. 4.
Abbate, who has a law degree from the University of Connecticut, is currently the special agent in charge of counterterrorism at the Washington Field office.
He joined the FBI in 1996 and was first assigned to New York where he worked white-collar crimes, and was a member of the SWAT Team.
In December 2003, he went to the mothership of the FBI -- headquarters in D.C. --- where he served as supervisory special agent in the Iraq Unit of the Counterterrorism Division, according to the FBI. While in Iraq, his duties included managing FBI counterterrorism operations and personnel deployments within Iraq.
From October 2005 to January 2006, he was deployed to Iraq to serve as the senior FBI liaison officer to U.S. Department of Defense Special Forces components. He also led a group of FBI personnel conducting counterterrorism investigations.
In 2006 to 2009, he served as a supervisory special agent on the Newark Division Joint Terrorism Task Force. During that stint, in 2008, Abbate went to Afghanistan to serve as FBI deputy on-scene commander, leading FBI counterterrorism operations and personnel.
In 2009, he returned to the Counterterrorism Division as assistant section chief for International Terrorism Operations Section I and provided national-level management and oversight for all international terrorism investigations in the U.S., the FBI said.
After that, he headed west. In 2010, Abbate served as an assistant special agent in charge for counterterrorism matters in Los Angeles. In 2012, he was named the special agent in charge of counterterrorism in the Washington Field Office.
