Counterterrorism

Man Who Attempted to Travel to Syria for Terrorism Jailed

A man who attempted to travel to Syria to engage in terrorism has been jailed, following an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command. Mamun Rashid, 28 (27.01.93) travelled from the UK to Istanbul in the summer of 2018 with the intention of crossing…

Garland Delivers Remarks on the First Anniversary of the Attack on the Capitol

Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered the following remarks on Jan. 5, 2022, at the Justice Department: Good afternoon. It’s nice to see some of you here in the Great Hall. And to be able to connect with all of you virtually today. On my first day as Attorney General…

Bomb Threats Target Multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities

At least eight historically Black colleges and universities received bomb threats Tuesday afternoon and evening. No suspicious packages or explosives were found as of Wednesday. Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Xavier University in Louisiana reported bomb…

Military & Defense

Biden Nominates a New General to Oversee Military Operations in Middle East

President Joe Biden is nominating Army Lt. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla to be the next commander of US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, according to multiple defense officials and nomination paperwork sent to Congress…

Dozens of Protesters Reported Killed in Kazakhstan as Russia-Led Military Alliance Heads to the Country

Dozens of protesters were killed and hundreds injured during clashes in Kazakhstan, a police official from the largest city Almaty said Thursday, as troops from a Russian-led military alliance of post-Soviet states begin their operations in the Central Asian country to help quell…

Three Protesters Shot Dead in Sudan Anti-Military Rallies

Security forces shot dead three protesters and fired tear gas in Sudan on Thursday as crowds thronged the capital Khartoum and other cities in more anti-military rallies, medics and Reuters witnesses said. At least 60 people have died and many more have been wounded…

Cybersecurity

China Cyberspace Regulator Says It Will Build Solid National Cyber Security Barrier

China will speed up establishment of a comprehensive internet governance system and build a solid national cyber security barrier, the cyberspace regulator said on Thursday. China will win the battle for core technologies in the information field, it said in a statement on its…

Albuquerque Impacted By Ransomware Attack on Bernalillo County Government

County government buildings and public offices were closed on Wednesday across the cities of Albuquerque, Los Ranchos, and Tijeras after a ransomware attack crippled the IT network of the Bernalillo County government. “The disruption likely occurred between Midnight…

Massive Internet Outages Continue to Sow Confusion Amid Kazakhstan Protests

Nation-level internet traffic was cut off in Kazakhstan this week in the latest example of a petrostate trying to use shutdowns to quell protests and sow confusion. Early reports of communications disruptions started coming in on January 2, the first day people took to the…

Counterintelligence & Espionage

Myanmar Military Accuse News Outlet of Sowing Distrust

Military officials in Myanmar’s Rakhine state announced charges Wednesday against a news website accused of sowing distrust in the military. Western News was accused of publishing reports that misinterpret or create misunderstanding or distrust of the military, Rakhine State…

Turkish Prosecutor Seeks Jail For Opposition Politician Over Espionage- State Media

A Turkish prosecutor is seeking a jail term of up to 20 years for Metin Gurcan, a founder of the Turkish opposition Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), over military and political espionage, state media said on Thursday. In late November Gurcan was jailed pending trial…

Chinese National Pleads Guilty in U.S. Court to Stealing Trade Secrets

A Chinese national pleaded guilty on Thursday in a U.S. court to conspiring to steal trade secrets from agricultural company Monsanto to benefit the Chinese government, the U.S. Justice Department said. Xiang Haitao, who was employed by Monsanto and a subsidiary…

Transnational Organized Crime

Third Gang Member Sentenced to Prison for Series of Truck Stop ATM Robberies, Related Assault

A third Houston-area gang member was ordered to federal prison Wednesday for his role in a string of ATM robberies at truck stops in Texas and Louisiana and for a related assault of a good Samaritan who tried to intervene in one of the robberies. The investigation…

New Cocaine, Marijuana Trafficking Connections Between Colombia, Brazil

The dismantling of a gang trafficking marijuana and cocaine from Colombia to Brazil has revealed greater connections between organized crime in both countries. Five men were arrested in Colombia’s southern department of Putumayo on charges of trafficking drugs over…

10 Bodies Abandoned in Car Beneath Christmas Tree in Zacatecas City Center

The Zacatecas governor got an unwanted present for Kings Day: a vehicle with 10 dead bodies abandoned beneath the giant Christmas tree in front of the state government palace in the early hours of the morning. Governor David Monreal Ávila appeared in a Facebook Live…