Counterterrorism

IS group terrorist found guilty of murdering British MP Sir David Amess

A London jury on Monday unanimously found Islamic State group follower Ali Harbi Ali guilty of murdering British lawmaker David Amess in a ferocious knife attack in October last year. Ali told the trial that he had no regrets about killing father-of-five Amess after he voted…

ISIS Calls for ‘Social Media Warfare’ to Counter ‘Enchanting’ Influencers and Incite

A concerted focus on “social media warfare” is critical to advance on the ideological battlefield but also in order to counter the pull of “enchanting” social media influencers, ISIS Khorasan declared in a new issue of the group’s English-language magazine…

Military & Defense

Ukrainian Battalion Accuses Russia of Using Chemical Weapons on Civilians

A Ukrainian battalion said Monday that Russia has used chemical weapons against Ukraine's military and citizens, causing victims to develop respiratory failure and other illnesses. The Azoz Regiment, a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, said the chemicals were of an…

EU halting military training in Mali but staying in Sahel

The EU on Monday decided to halt its military training missions in Mali but will keep a presence in the Sahel, the bloc's top diplomat said on Monday. "We are halting the training missions for the (Malian) armed forces and national guard," EU foreign policy chief Josep…

Cybersecurity

Anonymous vows to continue cyber war against Putin’s Russia until aggression in Ukraine stops

Hacker collective Anonymous continues to monitor Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and reports that it will continue its cyber war until Russia’s aggression stops. In a recent tweet, Anonymous said it will continue hacking and releasing confidential information…

US extradites man accused of unwittingly distributing FBI’s honeypot phones

The US extradited last month a man from the Netherlands who is accused of working for Anom — the encrypted communications platform used by global organized criminals that was the subject of a lengthy undercover FBI investigation dubbed “Operation Trojan Shield.”…

Counterintelligence & Espionage

'Persona non grata': Six Russian spies expelled from France after investigation

Six Russian spies were declared "persona non grata" Monday and expelled from France following an investigation. The spies were posing as foreign diplomats, the Foreign Ministry said. "Six Russian agents operating under diplomatic cover and whose activities proved…

Sophisticated Spyware Attack Targets Top EU Legal Officials' iPhones

A complex spyware attack hit nearly half a dozen of the European Union’s top legal officials last year. Reuters reports that the phones of at least five EU officials were hacked with invasive malware between February and September of 2021. One of the targeted officials was…

Transnational Organized Crime

The war next door: Conflict in Mexico is displacing thousands

María Jesús was grilling tortillas. Patricia was frying pork ribs. Adriana was sipping a cup of tea to calm her nerves. For the Martínez sisters, that Friday was shaping up like most Fridays in their mountain village, the women preparing lunch in their simple homes as their husbands…

How Venezuelan Gangs Masquerade as Community Organizers to Secure Territory

Elements of the Venezuelan underworld, whether drug cartels, street gangs or illegal mining groups, have hit upon a unique way of establishing social control: creating "foundations" to act as quasi-charitable arms, helping to improve relations with the population and strike…