Salem infiltrated the group and gathered information that led to the arrest of the plotters. The FBI took two years to investigate the plot, which showed that a slow approach to terrorist investigations was beneficial. James Kallstrom, an ex-FBI officer, said, "You obviously want to play things out so you can fully identify the breadth and scope of the conspiracy. Obviously, the most efficient and effective way to do that is to bring it down to the last stage." That was the precedent for many later terrorist cases. The general public later criticized that strategy, but the FBI still leans toward slow approaches to foil terrorist plots.