Daily Intel Brief
A Greek anarchist group claims responsibility for an arson attack, the 'Merchant of Death' is swapped for Brittney Griner, and the U.S. boosts troop numbers in Estonia...
Counterterrorism
On December 2, multiple gunmen attacked Pakistani Chargé d’Affaires Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani in Kabul. Nizamani was walking inside the embassy compound when militants in a nearby building fired upon him. The assassination attempt ultimately failed; however, one of…
A little-known Greek anarchist group has claimed responsibility for an arson attack on an Italian diplomat’s car at her home in Athens. In a statement posted on a far-left website Thursday, a group calling itself “Revenge Cell Carlo Giuliani” said it carried out last Friday’s…
Military & Defense
Russian forces have installed multiple rocket launchers at Ukraine’s shut-down Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials claimed Thursday, raising fears Europe’s largest atomic power station could be used as a base to fire on Ukrainian territory and heightening…
The United States will deploy additional infantry troops to the Baltic country of Estonia “in the coming weeks” to strengthen defenses on NATO’s eastern flank, Estonian defense officials said Thursday. The deployment consists of a U.S. infantry company — a unit typically…
Cybersecurity
North Korean hackers exploited South Korea’s deadly Halloween crowd crush to target internet users with malware, according to a report by Google’s anti-hacking unit. The state-backed hackers planted malicious software in Microsoft Office documents disguised to look…
Ukraine has surprised the world with its ability to fend off major cyberattacks from Russia. And one small country — Estonia — has played an outsized role in helping them do so. The nation of just over 1 million, which has fought off cyberattacks inside its borders from Russia…
Counterintelligence & Espionage
The son of a Russian businessman close to President Vladimir Putin has been acquitted in Norway of violating a law that bars Russians from flying drones. Andrey Yakunin, who holds both a Russian and a British passport and who lives in Italy, was arrested in Hammerfest, in…
Lawmakers in Greece are set to approve plans to outlaw commercial spyware following weeks of allegations that senior government officials may have been targeted. The revelations have hurt public support for the country’s center-right government as it faces elections in 2023…
Transnational Organized Crime
Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, swapped Thursday for WNBA star Brittney Griner, is widely known abroad as the “Merchant of Death” who fueled some of the world’s worst conflicts. In Russia, however, he’s seen as a swashbuckling businessman who was unjustly imprisoned after…
A court in Guatemala has convicted former President Otto Perez Molina and his Vice President, Roxana Baldetti, on fraud and conspiracy counts, sentencing them each to 16 years in prison. Perez Molina was found guilty of racketeering and fraud targeting the customs…