Why was the FBI involved in the international events of The Jackal?

FBI only has jurisdiction on US property and soil (domestically, embassies internationally).

In the movie The Jackal, what was the FBI's involvement with the Russian murder investigation at the beginning of the movie? Why where they, and not another organization with international jurisdiction, the organization involved?

Answer

The raid of the nightclub in Moscow was a joint operation betweent the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) and the FBI.

And looking at the FBI's real word examples (see below), such an operation doesn't seem to be completely unrealistic.

The FBI does have offices around the globe (including Moscow):

Today, we have legal attaché offices—commonly known as legats—and smaller sub-offices in 76 key cities around the globe, providing coverage for more than 200 countries, territories, and islands.

Each office is established through mutual agreement with the host country and is situated in the U.S. embassy or consulate in that nation.

Through the years FBI agents, analysts, and other personnel overseas have made major contributions to solving cases, disabling worldwide terrorist and criminal networks, bringing fugitives to justice, and ensuring the safety of global events.

A few examples:

• Legat Jakarta collaborated with Indonesian law enforcement partners during the investigation of the Bali nightclub bombing in 2002.




• Legat Madrid provided investigative assistance following the string of bombings in 2004 on mass transit systems in Spain.




• In the wake of the tsunami of 2004, the International Operations Division played a crucial role in facilitating FBI involvement throughout Southeast Asia, providing various forms of humanitarian and laboratory support.




• Legat Beijing coordinated the FBI’s role in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.