Counterterrorism

Examining the Denver Shooter’s Ideological Views

On 27 December 2021, Lyndon McLeod shot and killed five individuals in Denver, Colorado, before being shot and killed by a Denver police officer. McLeod’s writings and social media content suggest his worldviews were heavily aligned with accelerationist themes…

Detained Tunisia Ex-Minister Suspected of 'Terrorism'

Detained Tunisian ex-justice minister Noureddine Bhiri of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, who is refusing food or medication after his transfer to hospital, is suspected of "terrorism", the interior minister said Monday. Bhiri, deputy president of Ennahdha…

Poway Synagogue Shooter Sentenced to Life Followed by 30 Years in Prison for Federal Hate Crimes

John T. Earnest, a California man who entered the Chabad of Poway on April 27, 2019, opened fire and killed one woman, injured three others, and attempted to kill 50 others, was sentenced today in the Southern District of California to life followed by 30 years in prison…

Military & Defense

Rockets Fired From Gaza

Two rockets were fired the morning of Jan. 1 from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. The rockets exploded over the Mediterranean Sea, with no injuries or material damages registered. One detonated not far off the coast of Tel Aviv; the other exploded further away at sea…

Series of Attacks Highlights Reach of Iran-Allied Militias

Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized a ship in the Red Sea, armed drones targeted Baghdad's international airport, and hackers hit a major Israeli newspaper Monday — a string of assaults that showed the reach of Iran-allied militias on the second anniversary of America’s…

US, Russia Stress There are No Winners in Nuclear War Amid Increased Tensions

The U.S. and Russia stressed that there are no winners in nuclear war amid increasing tensions, in a joint statement released on Monday with China, France and the United Kingdom. The nations said they consider the "avoidance of war between Nuclear-Weapon…

Cybersecurity

Jerusalem Post Website Hacked on Soleimani Assassination Anniversary

Israel's Jerusalem Post newspaper said on Monday its website had been hacked, in what it said was an apparent threat to the country. Instead of displaying a main news page, the website showed an illustration that appeared to recall top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani…

Florida's Broward Health Confirms October 2021 Breach

Florida's Broward Health hospital system has notified employees and patients of a data breach that occurred on Oct. 15 and compromised a wide range of personal and medical information. An attacker gained entry to the Broward Health network via the office…

Detecting Evasive Malware on IoT Devices Using Electromagnetic Emanations

Cybersecurity researchers have proposed a novel approach that leverages electromagnetic field emanations from the Internet of Things (IoT) devices as a side-channel to glean precise knowledge about the different kinds of malware targeting the embedded systems…

Counterintelligence & Espionage

Russian Tech Tycoon Extradited to US Over 'Election Hacking' Claims

A Russian tech tycoon extradited to the United States on securities fraud charges is being targeted because US authorities believe he has knowledge of high-profile Russian espionage operations, his lawyer has claimed. Vladislav Klyushin, who ran an IT firm with links to…

Poland Bought NSO Hacking Tools Shortly After Netanyahu Met Polish PM - Report

Poland’s Central Anticorruption Bureau bought NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware for hacking cellphones in 2017, not long after then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, according to Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper…

Intelligence Head Gets Saudi Lawsuit Tossed to Protect State Secrets

A judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a case against a former Saudi intelligence official after the U.S. Director of National Intelligence stepped in and suggested the case would reveal sensitive U.S. intelligence information and would damage national security…

Transnational Organized Crime

Trafficking Terrorism: How a Street Gang Connected with Libyan Terrorists

Have you heard the one about the Chicago street gang and the hostile foreign nation? It would be nice if this question were just a fun riddle, but it refers to an almost forgotten terrorism conspiracy investigation from 1986. The case was a strange but true saga of international…

Gunshots fired at US Border Patrol from Mexico

A United States Customs and Border Protection agent was shot at from Mexico on New Year’s Day while arresting an illegal immigrant in Texas. Fox News reported that multiple bullets struck the agent’s vehicle, but the agent himself was not harmed. Fox News…

Overloaded Human Smuggling Plane Crashes in Texas Desert. Pilot Flees, Cops Say

An airplane carrying smuggled migrants crashed in the West Texas desert and the pilot — a Texas man — ran from the site, abandoning severely injured passengers, according to the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office. And he’s still at large. Carrying six passengers, the four-seat…