Daily Intel Brief
Pentagon officially blacklists DJI for PLA links, ISIS funding terrorism with Tinder scams, US and Russian spy chiefs meet in Turkey, and Canada charges researcher with espionage for China...
Counterterrorism
At face value it looks like one of many romance scams that plague the world of internet dating: lovestruck singles strike up conversations or share intimate pictures online, only to be faced with demands for money or blackmailed when the conversation sours…
Nine Palestinians suspected of terrorist activity were arrested throughout the West Bank on Sunday night as part of Operation Break the Wave, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced on Monday morning. The suspects were arrested in Deir Abu Da'if, A' Ram, Bethlehem…
Military & Defense
US and Russian spy chiefs have met face-to-face to discuss Moscow's nuclear threat in Ukraine and American prisoners held "unjustly" by Russia. The discussions between CIA Director William Burns and his Russian counterpart Sergei Naryshkin took place in the…
The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Alexandra Seymour, an associate fellow at the Technology…
Cybersecurity
US government agencies including the Army and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pulled apps running Pushwoosh code after learning the software company – which presents itself as American – is actually Russian, according to Reuters. Pushwoosh is a software…
Canadian supermarket and pharmacy chain Sobeys is recovering from a cyberattack that might have involved the Black Basta ransomware. Sobeys is the second largest supermarket chain in Canada and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited, which…
Counterintelligence & Espionage
Canada’s federal police have charged an electric vehicle battery researcher at Quebec’s power utility with espionage, alleging the worker was covertly sending trade secrets to China. The arrest of Yuesheng Wang, 35, comes as Canada grapples with a barrage of accusations of…
A German judge remanded in custody on Monday a Moroccan national suspected of spying on fellow Moroccans residing in Germany who are part of a movement opposed to their country's authorities. The man, identified only as Mohamed A. as per Germany's privacy…
Transnational Organized Crime
International drug lord Christopher Kinahan Sr. was involved in an audacious bid to purchase a fleet of Egyptian military transport planes as he sought a safe haven and new bases close to drug-trafficking routes in Africa. In 2020, a Dubai company linked to Kinahan, Sea Dream…
Hitmen from Mexico's most dangerous drug cartel have recorded themselves beheading a captive in a horrifying ISIS-style execution video. The thugs are members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), led by the country's most wanted criminal in Nemesio…