https://www.iacsp.com Cyber Terrorism Articles & Info Feed https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=1 By Paul Davis   The upcoming presidential election will no doubt be contested hotly by both sides with accusations of voter fraud, political dirty tricks and illegal political contributions.   And like 2016, there will be accusations of foreign election interference.   On August 7th, William Evanina. the director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), offered an election threat update to the public.     Evanina had previously pledged to provide unclassified overview of foreign threats to the 2020 election.   “Today, we are making good on that promise by sharing additional information with the public on the intentions and activities of our adversaries with respect to the 2020 election,” Evanina said.   The NCSC stated that prior to the 2020 U.S. elections, foreign states will continue to use covert and overt influence measures in their attempts to sway U.S. voters’ preferences and perspectives, shift U.S. policies, increase discord in the United States, and undermine the American people’s confidence in the democratic process. According to the NCSC, these foreign states may also seek to compromise  election infrastructure for a range of possible purposes, such as interfering with the voting process, stealing sensitive data, or calling into question the validity of the election results. .   The NCSC is primarily concerned about the ongoing and potential activity by China, Russia, and Iran. Mon, 28 Sep 2020 22:06:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=2 By Paul Davis   By all accounts, Baimadajie Angwang was a dedicated public servant. The 33-year-old ethnic Tibetan and U.S. naturalized citizen not only served as a New York City police officer, he also served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was also, the U.S. Justice Department claims, a spy for Communist China.   On September 21st, the Justice Department announced that Angwang was charged with reporting to officials of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) the activities of Chinese citizens and served as a talent spotter for Chinese intelligence among the Tibetan community. He was also charged with wire fraud, making false statements, and obstructing an official proceeding. Angwang held a “SECRET”-level security clearance with the U.S. Army.  Wed, 21 Oct 2020 09:02:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=3 By Paul Davis   Like the world-famous musical band, the ISIS terrorist foursome known as “The Beatles” has broken up.   With their English accents and British background, the four terrorists have been called “The Beatles” facetiously. The men were British citizens but were stripped of their citizenship when they traveled to Syria to join ISIS.   The British agreed to hand over the accused terrorists and provide evidence against them, but the British government insisted that the U.S. agree not to pursue the death penalty in order for the men to be brought to the US to face justice.  Two of the four terrorists are in American custody and are charged with hostage-taking of American citizens in Syria and other terrorism offenses that resulted in the deaths of James Wright Foley, Steven Joel Sotloff, Peter Edward Kassig, and Kayla Jean Mueller. The two have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Fri, 15 Jan 2021 18:33:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=4 By Paul Davis   This year marks a milestone for the InfraGard program, a critical partnership between the FBI and the private sector.   According to the FBI, the National InfraGard Program began as a pilot project in 1996 when the Cleveland FBI Field Office asked local computer professionals to assist the FBI in determining how to better protect critical information systems in the public and private sectors. From this new partnership, the first InfraGard chapter was formed to address both cyber and physical threats. Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:50:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=5 By Paul Davis As I follow the news of the fall of Afghanistan, my thoughts are of the Vietnam War. My role in the Vietnam War was a minor one. I served as an 18-year-old seaman on the USS Kitty Hawk as the aircraft carrier performed combat operations on "Yankee Station" off the coast of North Vietnam in 1970 and 1971. Like most Vietnam veterans and many Americans, I felt a gut-punch when the Congress cut off funds to South Vietnam in 1975, ensuring a swift Communist victory over the South Vietnamese after America had expended so many lives and funds to hold the North Vietnamese aggressors at bay. Sun, 22 Aug 2021 13:21:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=6 By Paul Davis In the last issue of The Journal, I offered a look back at the multimillion-dollar bribery and fraud case that occurred in the late 1980s at the Defense Personnel Support Center in Philadelphia, known locally as the “Quartermaster.” Defense contractors who manufactured Navy peacoats and other military clothing bribed Department of Defense civilian employees to ensure the companies received major clothing contracts and expedited processing that led to the contractors receiving enormous government checks. The federal investigation was called “Operation Thimble.” Fri, 05 Nov 2021 11:56:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=7 By Paul Davis Last month, the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Navy SEALs. The Navy SEALs saw combat in the Vietnam War and in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hotspots around the world. The SEALs were in the forefront in the worldwide war on terrorism and it was the Navy SEALs who killed the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden.     According to the NSWC, President Kennedy recognized the need for an increase in special forces and unconventional warfare during the Vietnam War. He directed the Secretary of Defense to increase and reorient U.S. special forces and unconventional warfare units in a speech to Congress, May 25, 1961. Thu, 10 Feb 2022 22:13:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=8 By Paul Davis I was saddened to learn of the recent death of Peter Earnest, a retired CIA officer and founding executive director of the International Spy Museum. He was 88. The International Spy Museum announced the death of Peter Earnest on February 14th. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our long-serving founding executive director and dear friend Peter Earnest. Peter was a defining voice in the development of the Spy Museum more than 20 years ago. His incomparable leadership and enthusiastic determination guided us to create a new kind of institution,” the announcement stated. Tue, 01 Mar 2022 12:02:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=9 By Paul Davis   Rafael Caro-Quintero, a Mexican fugitive drug lord wanted for the 1985 murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, was captured by the Mexican Navy’s elite special forces on July 15, 2022.   The fugitive drug lord now faces extradition to the U.S. for the infamous torture and murder of the DEA agent.   Caro-Quintero, one of the founders of the brutal and powerful Guadalajara Cartel, kidnapped Camarena and tortured him horribly before finally murdering him. American officials claim Caro-Quintero was the mastermind behind Camarena’s murder. Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:35:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=10 By Paul Davis In an article in the current issue of the Journal, I wrote about the uncovering of Chinese intelligence operatives in the United States. There has been additional malign activity, as Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco called Chinese intelligence operations in the U.S., since those listed in the article. Most notably is the Chinese spy balloon that crossed the United States and was finally brought down by U.S. aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean. Tue, 28 Feb 2023 19:57:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=11 By Paul Davis Twenty years ago, I was crippled with spine and nerve damage. The severe damage to my back was caused by extreme wear and tear, having been an amateur middleweight boxer from my teens to my late 20s, and having performed rigorous physical work in cold and wet weather on a Navy harbor tugboat for two years at the nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland after serving two years on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War. Fri, 14 Jul 2023 20:32:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=12 By Paul Davis Quaker William Penn named the city he founded between the Delaware River and the Schuylkill River in his Pennsylvania colony “Philadelphia,” as the name means “brotherly love” in Greek. But one young Philadelphia resident stands accused of feeling more hate than love with his alleged crimes of storing weapons of mass destruction and being in contact with foreign terrorist organizations. On August 14th, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the arrest of the 17-year-old suspect. The unnamed juvenile was charged with Weapons of Mass Destruction, Criminal Conspiracy, Arson, Causing/Risking Catastrophe, Attempt to Commit Criminal Mischief, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. Mon, 04 Sep 2023 14:07:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=13 By Paul Davis On October 17th, there was an historic meeting of the “Five Eyes” intelligence agency chiefs. The chiefs of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership - the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - traveled to the U.S. at the invitation of FBI Director Christopher Wray. The Five Eyes partnership grew from a 1946 agreement after the end of World War II to share intelligence and coordinate security efforts. The five member countries have a long history of trust and cooperation, and they share a commitment to common values.m. Wed, 08 Nov 2023 16:42:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=14 By Paul Davis On November 23rd, 2023 the Justice Department issued a statement from U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the arrest of Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as “El Nini,” by Mexican authorities: “Yesterday, Mexican authorities arrested Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as ‘El Nini,’ who we allege is one of the Sinaloa Cartel’s lead “sicarios,” or assassins. Thu, 14 Dec 2023 15:15:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=15 By Paul Davis Major General Henry “Light Horse Harry’ Lee wrote in his eulogy of the late George Washington that the former president and general was “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” George Washington, aka Agent 711, was also first in espionage.       The CIA’s public website proclaimed Washington as our first spymaster, noting, “Long before General William Donovan recruited spies to advance the American war efforts during World War II as Director of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), predecessor to the CIA, General George Washington mastered the art of intelligence as Commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.” Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:14:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=16 By Paul Davis It has been said that American companies and the U.S. Government spend millions of dollars on technological research and development. And the Chinese and the Russians spend thousands of dollars stealing our R&D through espionage. Appearing on CBS’s 60 Minutes on April 21st, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that semiconductors have become a key battleground between the U.S. and our adversaries, notably Russia and China. Tue, 14 May 2024 16:17:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=17 By Paul Davis With attention on the Israeli and Ukrainian wars, and with no terrorist attacks directly targeting Americans on U.S. soil in some time, counterterrorism has taken a back seat. But two recent federal prosecutions last month indicate that we still need to be on guard against terrorism. On October 8, 2024, the Justice Department announced charges against an Afghanistan citizen living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for conspiring to conduct an Election Day terrorist attack in the United States on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO). Sun, 03 Nov 2024 08:34:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=18 By Paul Davis Last month, one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist fugitives, Daniel Andreas San Diego, was arrested in Wales in the U.K. with assistance from the British government. Who is he and why was he on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List, many have asked. The 46-year-old fugitive was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List in 2009 as he was wanted in connection with two animal rights-related bombings in Northern California 20 years ago. The FBI announced in 2009 that San Diego was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list - the first domestic terrorist to be included with international terrorists such as Usama Bin Laden. According to the FBI, his domestic acts of terror were planned to destroy property, to cause economic hardship for the companies he targeted, and possibly to take lives. One of his bombs was laced with nails to create potentially deadly shrapnel. The FBI offered a reward of up to $250,000 for information directly leading to his arrest. At a press conference in 2009 at FBI Headquarters in Washington, Michael J. Heimbach, then-Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, stated, “We have added San Diego to the Most Wanted Terrorists list to increase public awareness about this domestic terrorist fugitive and to aid in his arrest. We will not relent until San Diego is apprehended and his potential for future acts of violence and destruction is eliminated.” The FBI considers animal rights and environmental extremism to pose a significant domestic terror threat. The FBI in 2009 stated that San Diego, known to be involved with a group called SHAC- Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty- was wanted for his alleged involvement in bombing two biotech facilities that did business with Huntingdon Life Sciences, a company that conducts animal experimentation for the medical and pharmaceutical industries. “The first bombing occurred on August 28, 2003, outside Chiron Life Science Center in Emeryville, California. When authorities responded, a second bomb was discovered, but exploded before it could be disarmed, raising the possibility that the device was planted specifically to target first responders,” the FBI stated. “Less than a month later, another bomb exploded outside a company based in Pleasanton, California. That bomb was made with metal nails to create more powerful shrapnel and destruction. After each crime, claims of responsibly were posted on the Internet demanding that businesses end their affiliation with Huntington Life Sciences. Future violence was threatened if these demands were not met. Fortunately, no one died in the explosions, but property damage was extensive.” “San Diego was initially identified as a suspect after being stopped by a local police officer for a minor traffic violation in Pleasanton about an hour before the Pleasonton bombing. A subsequent search of his home and vehicle revealed bomb-making materials similar to those used in both attacks and he was later indicted for those crimes.”   San Diego has been on the run since October 2003. The FBI in 2009 noted that San Diego is six feet tall, weighs about 160 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. He wears glasses, is known to carry a 9mm handgun, has traveled internationally, and may be living out of the country, possibly in Costa Rica. “He is a vegan and avoids consuming or wearing anything made with animal products. He also has distinctive tattoos—one on his chest is round and shows burning hills and plains with the words “It only takes a spark.”” In the past, he has worked as a computer network specialist and with the operating system LINUX. “Daniel San Diego’s arrest after more than 20 years as a fugitive for two bombings in the San Francisco area shows that no matter how long it takes, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “There’s a right way and a wrong way to express your views in our country and turning to violence and destruction of property is not the right way.” Paul Davis’ Threatcon column covers crime, espionage and terrorism. Sun, 15 Dec 2024 07:38:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=19 By Paul Davis I recently had lunch with a retired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent. He spoke of how the influx of dangerous narcotics into the United States is a national security issue. He said drug overdoses kill far more Americans than terrorist attacks. “The drugs come in from the Mexican cartels and are offered to drug addicts here in Philadelphia and across the country,” the former DEA agent said. “The plant-based drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, are bad enough, but now we see the synthetic, chemically based drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, which are often deadly.” Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:49:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=20 By Paul Davis I recently had lunch with a retired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent. He spoke of how the influx of dangerous narcotics into the United States is a national security issue. He said drug overdoses kill far more Americans than terrorist attacks. “The drugs come in from the Mexican cartels and are offered to drug addicts here in Philadelphia and across the country,” the former DEA agent said. “The plant-based drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, are bad enough, but now we see the synthetic, chemically based drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, which are often deadly.” Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:49:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=21 By Paul Davis In the latest issue of the Journal, I covered the terrorist plot against the Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois. Xuanyu Harry Pang, a former U.S, Navy sailor, planned the attack purportedly on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Pang pleaded guilty to conspiring to and attempting to willfully injure and destroy national defense material, national defense premises, and national defense utilities, with the intent to injure, interfere with, and obstruct the national defense of the United States. Thu, 19 Jun 2025 12:11:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=22 By Paul Davis Before I became a full-time writer, I was a Defense Department civilian employee performing security work at the Defense Personnel Support Center in South Philadelphia. Known locally as the “Quartermaster,” as the compound was an U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps (supply) depot in World War I, the center was the second largest Defense Department procurement command. (I covered the multi-million-dollar bribery and procurement fraud case at the Quartermaster in the Journal in 2021). Wed, 16 Jul 2025 23:46:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=23 By Paul Davis I was pleased to see that President Trump encouraged and supported Israel’s air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. I also applaud President Trump’s bold and decisive order to send in the U.S. B-2 bombers with their bunker-busting bombs.     Trump described the strikes as a "spectacular military success."  "A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan," President Trump said. "Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:52:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=24 By Paul Davis There is a new war on terrorism. The new war runs parallel to the efforts to stop terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS.   This past January, President Trump signed an executive order stating that the United States would designate the Mexican drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Salvador’s Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as foreign terrorist organizations. “The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs,” the order read. President Trump has also put pressure on Mexico to crack down on the cartels and cooperate more fully with the U.S. in bringing to justice the cartel leaders. Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:53:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=25 By Paul Davis A reader emailed me a while back and criticized me for “creating alarm about Islamic terrorism when in fact domestic terrorism by white, right-wing criminals was the true threat to America.” I replied that yes, domestic terrorism by home-grown criminals is certainly a concern, and I’ve addressed that concern here and elsewhere. But I also stated that radical Islamic terrorism remains a serious threat to our country.  A case in point is Abdullah Haji Zada, 19, who on November 20th was sentenced to serve the statutory maximum of 15 years in federal prison for knowingly receiving, attempting to receive, and conspiring to receive a firearm and ammunition to be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism. Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:27:00 +0000 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?mnid=26 By Paul Davis On April 15th, Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, pleaded not guilty to charges that they attempted to detonate two explosive devices in the vicinity of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the New York City mayor in Manhattan, and that they were acting in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. The plea was surprising to me, considering that there are clear videos of the two men hurling the homemade bombs at anti-Islam protestors outside the mayor’s home, and there are also videos of the two bomb throwers being tackled and arrested by NYPD officers afterwards. Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:21:00 +0000