Latest news with #NationalSecurityAgency
Al Bawaba
2 days ago
- Al Bawaba
Egypt thwarts major terror plot targeting security and economic sites
Published July 21st, 2025 - 02:28 GMT Yahya al-Sayed Ibrahim Muhammad Musa, one of Hasm's founding figures and the mastermind behind its military operations. ALBAWABA- Egypt's Interior Ministry announced on Sunday, July 20, that it successfully foiled a major terrorist plot by the Hasm movement, the armed wing of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, aimed at targeting key security and economic facilities across the country. Also Read Video: Massive fire engulfs a sponge factory in Damietta, Egypt The operation followed intelligence gathered by the National Security Agency, which uncovered detailed plans for renewed attacks by Hasm operatives, some of whom were coordinating from abroad. ⭕ أحبطت وزارة الداخلية المصرية مخططًا لحركة "حسم" التابعة لجماعة الإخوان الإرهابية لإعادة إحياء نشاطها عبر استهداف منشآت أمنية واقتصادية⭕ أكدت الداخلية أن الحركة خططت لتسلل أحد عناصرها من دولة حدودية بشكل غير شرعي، ونشرت فيديو تدريبي يهدد بتنفيذ عمليات إرهابية ⭕كما تم تحديد… — القاهرة الإخبارية - AlQahera News (@Alqaheranewstv) July 20, 2025 According to the ministry's statement, one fugitive member had illegally infiltrated Egypt from a neighboring country to execute the plan. Security forces traced the operative to a hideout in the Boulaq al-Dakrour district of Giza, where he was residing with another Hasm member in preparation for the attack. When the security team moved in, the suspects opened fire indiscriminately, prompting a gun battle. Both operatives were killed during the exchange. A civilian passerby was fatally wounded, and one officer was injured while attempting to rescue the injured citizen. The ministry revealed that Hasm had produced and circulated a video showing members training in a desert area outside Egypt, vowing to carry out attacks inside the country. The National Security Agency was able to track the plot back to several high-ranking leaders of the group. Among them was Yahya al-Sayed Ibrahim Muhammad Musa, one of Hasm's founding figures and the mastermind behind its military operations. Other key operatives named included Mohamed Rafiq Ibrahim Manaa, who had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate prominent individuals and for forging official documents, and Alaa Ali Ali Al-Samahi, who was also convicted in several terror-related cases. Additional individuals identified included Mohamed Abdel-Hafiz Abdullah Abdel-Hafiz and Ali Mahmoud Mohamed Abdel-Wanis, both with known links to earlier assassination attempts. The infiltrator, Ahmed Mohamed Abdel-Razeq Ahmed Ghoneim, was tracked to the Giza apartment where he was plotting the attack with Ihab Abdel Latif Mohamed Abdel Qader. The Interior Ministry said the discovery of their hideout and the successful neutralization of the threat underscores the ongoing vigilance and effectiveness of Egypt's security forces in confronting internal threats. It added that the operation is a reminder of the continued danger posed by foreign-based extremist networks and the importance of coordinated counterterrorism efforts to protect national stability. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Atlantic
6 days ago
- Politics
- Atlantic
A Dog, a Spymaster, and Trump's Thirst for ‘Deep State' Revenge
Earlier this year, an adorable yellow Lab named Susan completed a CIA training program for 'detection K9s.' She was a natural at sniffing out concealed explosives—think car bombs and suicide vests—and the agency was eager to put her to work protecting its personnel. James Clapper, who had sponsored Susan through a nonprofit organization that helps place service dogs, was delighted. Clapper, 84, was one of the longest-serving and most experienced intelligence officers in U.S. history, and was the Director of National Intelligence in the Obama administration. There was a certain professional symmetry in his pup ending up at the CIA, a place he both knew intimately and deeply admired. It was also bittersweet: Clapper named Susan after his late wife, a former National Security Agency employee who had been at his side during his five-decade career. Susan, a great animal lover, had volunteered at a local shelter and 'doted on the family dog, Augusta,' according to her 2023 obituary. Clapper was looking forward to attending the dog's graduation ceremony at a CIA training facility in Herndon, Virginia. But the day before the event, in late May, he received an email from the nonprofit dog-training group: Clapper's name had been scratched from the guest list, per an executive order from the president of the United States. Now, Donald Trump has a thing against dogs. He has said that the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 'died like a dog and a coward.' General Stanley McChrystal was 'fired like a dog' by President Barack Obama. At a campaign rally in 2019, Trump said a lot of people had urged him to imitate prior presidents and get a dog. No way. 'It feels a little phony to me.' But Trump's dislike for Clapper is even greater than his disdain for dogs. In fact, Trump once compared Clapper to a canine, writing in a tweet that Clapper and another Obama-era official had begun to 'choke like dogs' during a Senate hearing about the Kremlin's interference in the 2020 election, which Trump calls the 'Russia hoax,' a hoax he accuses Clapper and other members of the 'deep state' of concocting. Trump has no doubt watched many of Clapper's cable-news appearances over the past five years, in which he has bemoaned the president's coarseness and questioned his fitness for office. After Trump returned to the White House, payback for Clapper was swift and personal. Via executive order, Trump stripped his security clearance along with those of more than four dozen other former intelligence officials. Their proximate sin: signing a letter suggesting that the publication of emails found on a laptop purportedly belonging to Joe Biden's son Hunter might be the result of a Russian-government operation. (There is no evidence that it was.) Peter Wehner: Trump's Appetite for Revenge is Insatiable But back to Susan the bomb dog, and her graduation ceremony. CIA officials interpreted Trump's order to mean that Clapper should be barred from even setting foot on agency property. The agency conveyed that message to the nonprofit, which had invited Clapper to attend the ceremony, a representative with the organization told me. (The CIA itself declined to comment on the Clapper snub.) The upshot is that an octogenarian Air Force retiree who spent half a century in his nation's service was not allowed to attend a party for a dog he essentially donated to the government and named after his dead wife. There was no legitimate policy reason for keeping Clapper away. This was not a classified event. Attendees didn't need a security clearance. There are photos from the ceremony on Facebook, showing happy people proudly posing with happy service dogs. One presumes that graduates were showered with scritches, kisses, and lots of treats, and not given the nuclear codes. Clapper declined to comment on all of this—nor did he tip me off to it. Plenty of people are outraged on his behalf. Though the story might seem trivial, it illustrates how powerfully this administration seeks retribution. Shane Harris: Trump's 'Deep State' Revenge Three days after Trump's second inauguration, I wrote that his executive order naming Clapper and others was his 'first shot in a war he has long promised against the 'deep state.'' The hits keep coming. Most recently, CIA Director John Ratcliffe falsely characterized a review he had personally ordered into Russia's 2020 election interference. That report, which validated the CIA's original findings, became the apparent basis for a criminal investigation into two other Obama-era officials. Contorted reports. Dubious investigations. Dog parties. Among all of the challenges facing the U.S., these are the subjects that have captured the attention of our national-security leadership. Thankfully, Susan will be focused on her job protecting CIA officers. Given how well she performed in training, we can assume she has a bright career ahead of her.
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Iran-linked hackers may target US firms and critical infrastructure, US government warns
A US government advisory has warned against Iran-affiliated hacktivists targeting US firms and critical infrastructure operators. PHOTO: REUTERS Iran-linked hackers may target US firms and critical infrastructure, US government warns WASHINGTON - Iranian-affilited hackers may target US companies and critical infrastructure operators, particularly defence organisations with holdings or relationships with Israeli research and defence firms, according to an advisory from US government officials June 30. The FBI, National Security Agency, the Department of Defence Cyber Crime Centre (DC3) and the Department of Homeland Security's civilian cybersecurity defence wing said in a statement issued alongside the advisory that while there are no indications of a coordinated Iranian-linked malicious cyber campaign so far, organisations should ensure their defences are up to date. "Despite a declared ceasefire and ongoing negotiations towards a permanent solution, Iranian-affiliated cyber actors and hacktivist groups may still conduct malicious cyber activity," the agencies said in the advisory. Cybersecurity researchers and defenders in Israel and the US have so far seen little Iranian-linked cyber activity of consequence in the wake of the war launched by Israel June 13, followed by US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22. Iranian state-sponsored hackers are known to exploit existing vulnerabilities in unpatched or outdated software and compromise internet-connected accounts and devices that use default or weak passwords, as well as work with ransomware operators to encrypt, steal and leak sensitive information, the agencies said June 30. In November 2023, hackers said by the US government to be affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards hacked equipment located in water and wastewater treatment systems in multiple states. The attacks targeted an Israeli-made device and came shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran-linked hackers may target U.S. firms and critical infrastructure, U.S. government warns
(Reuters) -Iranian-affilited hackers may target U.S. companies and critical infrastructure operators, particularly defense organizations with holdings or relationships with Israeli research and defense firms, according to an advisory from U.S. government officials Monday. The FBI, National Security Agency, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) and the Department of Homeland Security's civilian cybersecurity defense wing said in a statement issued alongside the advisory that while there are no indications of a coordinated Iranian-linked malicious cyber campaign so far, organizations should ensure their defenses are up to date. "Despite a declared ceasefire and ongoing negotiations towards a permanent solution, Iranian-affiliated cyber actors and hacktivist groups may still conduct malicious cyber activity," the agencies said in the advisory. Cybersecurity researchers and defenders in Israel and the U.S. have so far seen little Iranian-linked cyber activity of consequence in the wake of the war launched by Israel June 13, followed by U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22. Iranian state-sponsored hackers are known to exploit existing vulnerabilities in unpatched or outdated software and compromise internet-connected accounts and devices that use default or weak passwords, as well as work with ransomware operators to encrypt, steal and leak sensitive information, the agencies said Monday. In November 2023, hackers said by the U.S. government to be affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards hacked equipment located in water and wastewater treatment systems in multiple states. The attacks targeted an Israeli-made device and came shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran-linked hackers may target U.S. firms and critical infrastructure, U.S. government warns
(Reuters) -Iranian-affilited hackers may target U.S. companies and critical infrastructure operators, particularly defense organizations with holdings or relationships with Israeli research and defense firms, according to an advisory from U.S. government officials Monday. The FBI, National Security Agency, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) and the Department of Homeland Security's civilian cybersecurity defense wing said in a statement issued alongside the advisory that while there are no indications of a coordinated Iranian-linked malicious cyber campaign so far, organizations should ensure their defenses are up to date. "Despite a declared ceasefire and ongoing negotiations towards a permanent solution, Iranian-affiliated cyber actors and hacktivist groups may still conduct malicious cyber activity," the agencies said in the advisory. Cybersecurity researchers and defenders in Israel and the U.S. have so far seen little Iranian-linked cyber activity of consequence in the wake of the war launched by Israel June 13, followed by U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22. Iranian state-sponsored hackers are known to exploit existing vulnerabilities in unpatched or outdated software and compromise internet-connected accounts and devices that use default or weak passwords, as well as work with ransomware operators to encrypt, steal and leak sensitive information, the agencies said Monday. In November 2023, hackers said by the U.S. government to be affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards hacked equipment located in water and wastewater treatment systems in multiple states. The attacks targeted an Israeli-made device and came shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
