Counterterrorism

Tampa Terrorism Case Raises Questions of Surveillance, Searches, Mental Illness

A year ago, federal prosecutors accused a Tampa man of plotting a mass shooting in support of the ISIS terrorist group. FBI agents in a criminal complaint described Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari’s collection of a bulletproof vest, an Uzi submachine gun, a silencer and firearm…

Covid Lockdowns May Have Increased UK Terrorism Threat, Says Security Minister

The terrorism threat to the UK may have been made worse by Covid lockdowns, a security minister has suggested. Damian Hinds, the MP for East Hampshire who became security minister in August, told the Daily Telegraph that people spending long periods of time in…

Self-Styled 'Father of Terrorism' From Cardiff Jailed Over Bitcoin Trading on Dark Web

A convicted terrorist from Cardiff has been jailed again over secret cryptocurrency trading on the dark web. Khuram Iqbal was first imprisoned in 2014 for having copies of Al-Qaeda's Inspire magazine and sharing terrorist information. Going by the Arabic term for…

Military & Defense

Satellite Images Track New Russian Military Deployments Near Ukraine

Satellite images released Dec. 23 offer new details about additional troops and military equipment which have been stationed near the Russia-Ukraine border since October amid growing tensions between the two nations. The images, captured by satellite imagery…

U.N. Calls For Investigation After Reported Massacre in Myanmar; 2 Save the Children Workers Missing

The United Nations called for an investigation following reports that at least 35 people, including a child, were killed in a massacre by Myanmar’s military on Christmas Eve. Two workers for Save the Children, a humanitarian organization, remain among the missing…

Biden Signs Enormous US Military Budget Into Law

President Joe Biden has signed into law a $777.7bn US annual military budget – his first in office – weeks after Congress overwhelmingly passed the bill amid protests from progressives and anti-war groups who had advocated for cutting military spending…

Cybersecurity

Shutterfly Hit by Ransomware Attack

Photography company Shutterfly announced this week that it had been hit by a ransomware attack that had impacted some services, making it the latest in a string of companies to be targeted by hackers looking for a payout. The company announced the attack in a…

QNAP NAS Devices Hit in Surge of ech0raix Ransomware Attacks

Users of QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) devices are reporting attacks on their systems with the eCh0raix ransomware, also known as QNAPCrypt. The threat actor behind this particular malware intensified their activity about a week before Christmas, taking control…

A Hacking Slugfest Between Iran and Its Foes Sparks Fears of a Wider Cyberwar

For four days in early December, Iran’s top university ground to a halt. Web-conferencing software for COVID-constrained classes didn’t work. Faculty and students couldn’t access their records. It was the latest round of attack in the low-level but escalating cyberhostilities…

Counterintelligence & Espionage

French Tourist Jailed in Iran Goes on Hunger Strike

Benjamin Briere, a French tourist jailed in Iran on spying charges since spring 2020, has begun a hunger strike, his lawyer and sister said in a statement on Monday. French authorities remain in close contact with Briere, visiting him on Dec. 21 and contacting him…

Two American Spy Planes Just Flew Right Over Ukraine. Their Mission: Map the Nearby Russian Army

A pair of the U.S. Air Force’s best surveillance planes on Monday flew over eastern Ukraine fewer than 40 miles from territory controlled by Russian-backed separatists. The two-jet mission, involving an E-8C ground-surveillance plane and an RC-135V signals-intelligence…

Norway Intelligence Alleges Russia Of Carrying Out Cyber Attacks; Kremlin Denies Claims

The Chief of Norway's Intelligence Service, Nile Andreas Stensones, has alleged that Russia poses the 'greatest threat' in cyber attacks to the country. Speaking to NRK, intelligence chief Nile Andreas Stensones has claimed that Russia is interested in the Norwegian foreign policy…

Transnational Organized Crime

Camp Pendleton Marine Arrested on Suspicion of Human Smuggling Christmas Day

A Camp Pendleton Marine was arrested on suspicion of smuggling undocumented immigrants in the San Diego backcountry on Christmas Day, according to a federal complaint filed Monday. Angel Morales Gaitan, a Marine assigned to Camp Pendleton, was arrested just…

25 Cuban Migrants Land on Beach and Near Key West Landmark, U.S. Border Patrol Says

The U.S. Border Patrol said Monday that 25 Cuban migrants made landfall in Key West on Monday and over the weekend, as attempts to reach South Florida from Cuba by sea continue to rise dramatically. Three groups of people arrived separately at different locations in Key…

Hezbollah Drug Trade: The Dark Web of Drugs Risks Undoing Economic, Social Progress Amidst COVID

Even as the world struggles to come to terms with the Covid-19 pandemic, terrorist groups such as Hezbollah continue to target the security and stability of the entire Middle East region as well as the world at large. The dimension of the threat has been steadily assuming…