Daily Intel Brief
Hundreds are arrested in raids on ISIS camps in Syria, Ukraine warns of the Russian nuclear threat, and Albania severs ties with Iran over cyberattack...
Counterterrorism
A terrorist on Wednesday night attacked, using a hammer, a soldier who was stationed at a military post near the Palestinian Arab village of Baytin, located northeast of Ramallah in the Binyamin region. The soldier opened fire at the terrorist and killed him. A knife was…
Syrian forces allied with the United States have rounded up hundreds of suspected Islamic State operatives this year in raids on a refugee camp that has been a hotbed of violence perpetrated by terrorist sympathizers, operations coordinated and facilitated by the U.S…
Military & Defense
Ukraine’s top military leader warned Wednesday that the “direct threat” of Russia’s nuclear weapons remains a major factor in its decision-making amid conflict in the country. Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, and Lt. Gen. Mykhailo…
Aforceful takeover of Taiwan by Chinese forces wouldn't be considered an "invasion" because Taiwan is part of its territory, one of Beijing's senior diplomats said this week. Xiao Qian, Beijing's top envoy in Canberra, told ABC Australia's current affairs program 7.30 that…
Cybersecurity
InterContinental Hotels Group, also known as IHG Hotels & Resorts, has confirmed it was hit by a cyberattack that downed its booking systems and mobile apps. U.K.-headquartered IHG operates some of the world’s largest hotel chains, including the Holiday Inn, Crown Plaza…
Albania has severed diplomatic ties with Iran and ordered Iranian embassy staff to leave, accusing it of orchestrating a major cyber-attack. Prime Minister Edi Rama said a probe had found "incontrovertible evidence" that Iran "hired four groups to mount the attack on…
Counterintelligence & Espionage
A well-resourced advanced persistent threat (APT) group aligned with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) and active since 2015 is targeting perceived threats to the Iranian government with sophisticated cybercriminal and…
Mikhail Sokolov knows Russian agents might be watching him. He says he spied on his own colleagues for Moscow for years. Now he says he is seeking asylum in the Netherlands, as he walks warily around the canals of Amsterdam, telling CNN about his recruitment as an…
Transnational Organized Crime
Santo Domingo’s imposing courthouse, the Palacio de Justicia de Ciudad Nuevo, buzzes with activity and urgent conversation. Attorneys and judges stride through the halls in spotless black robes and bobble-headed caps, while defendants shuffle past with heads bowed, guided…
Organised criminal gangs will exploit a global economic crisis by increasingly targeting vulnerable container ship workers to help with their trafficking operations, a senior executive of Mediterranean Shipping Co told a United Nations conference. MSC chief operating…