Counterterrorism
A suicide bomber targeting a minibus full of delegates involved in Somalia’s parliamentary elections killed at least six people in Mogadishu, the ambulance service said, as the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab armed group claimed responsibility for the attack. The blast occurred early…
French prosecutors said on Thursday they had opened a terrorism investigation into a recent attack on park rangers in northern Benin, in which a French national was among six people killed. Earlier in the day, France condemned the ambush in the park, which is jointly…
A 39-year-old woman who distributed propaganda videos encouraging acts of terrorism for so-called Islamic State (IS) has been jailed for five-and-a-half years. Aaminah Amatullah was convicted in December of two offences of disseminating terrorist publications, contrary to…
Military & Defense
Russia began major military drills with close ally Belarus on Thursday, the latest stage in a massive military buildup near Ukraine's borders that has stoked fears Moscow could invade its neighbor. The joint exercises were expected to involve tens of thousands of troops, weapons…
Ukrainian officials said Russian naval drills off its Black Sea coast are disrupting trade and hurting the economy, even as Russian and Belarusian forces began 10 days of major military exercises close to Ukraine’s northern border. Oleg Nikolenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian…
The United States will help the United Arab Emirates replenish interceptors it uses to knock down incoming missiles following a spate of unprecedented attacks by Houthi fighters in Yemen, the U.S. general overseeing Middle East operations told Reuters. In recent weeks…
Cybersecurity
A cyber-attack has disrupted the operations of Pop TV, Slovenia’s most popular TV channel, in an incident this week believed to be an extortion attempt. The attack, which took place on Tuesday, impacted Pop TV’s computer network and prevented the company from showing…
After causing havoc throughout 2020, the operators of the FritzFrog botnet have returned with new attacks in 2022 after ceasing any activity last year. First spotted in January 2020, the FritzFrog botnet operated by using SSH brute-force attacks to gain access to remote servers…
A US federal court has sentenced Canadian hacker Doug Bowser to 40 months in prison for his involvement in Switch hacking group Team Xecuter, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday. Not to be confused with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser…
Counterintelligence & Espionage
U.S. Intelligence Report Details 'Indirect' Russian Government Support for Western Neofascist Groups
A U.S. intelligence community assessment obtained by Yahoo News concluded that the Russian government is providing “indirect and passive support” to neofascist groups operating in the U.S. and elsewhere, but stops short of accusing the Kremlin of supplying financial…
An American cybersecurity company has identified a malicious hacking group that it said has targeted human rights activists, academics, and lawyers, and is likely connected to another older group that has typically targeted India’s adversaries like China and Pakistan with cyber…
The National Security Service of Armenia (HAAT) has detained 19 people suspected of being members of an "espionage network" in the South Caucasus nation. The HAAT said on February 10 that dozens of servicemen in different units of the the armed forces may have…
Transnational Organized Crime
Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents, aided by an aircrew from Air and Marine Operations (AMO) Yuma Air Branch, intercepted a human smuggling attempt Wednesday in Yuma, Arizona. Late Wednesday morning, Yuma Sector agents observed two suspicious SUVs at…
The Coast Guard Cutter Active (WMEC 619) and crew returned to their homeport in Port Angeles Wednesday after a 10,572-mile, 55-day deployment to the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The crew deployed off the coast of Central America in support of counterdrug operations…
Three men have now been charged in connection with millions of dollars worth of drugs, weapons and cash having been seized in Victoria and the Lower Mainland late last year. Brian James Balla, 34, originally from Calgary and now living in Victoria, has been charged…