Mexico: Explosives and Drones found in Cholua, Intended for Terrorism

June 2020

C/O Futures Director of Research and Analysis and Associate Alma Keshavarz publish article contribution in FMSO OE Watch

Threat Groups: Cartels

Technology: Weaponized Drones

OE Watch Commentary: In early May, the Prosecutors Office and the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) carried out searches for explosives and other munitions in the municipality of San Andrés Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. According to Mexican news outlet El Sol de Puebla, Office of the Attorney General (FGR), and the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime (SEIDO), authorities found C4, homemade bombs, and drones which were allegedly intended for terrorist attacks.

Read more: https://community.apan.org/wg/tradoc-g2/fmso/p/oe-watch-issues

SWJ El Centro Review Essay – Operation Devil Horns: The Takedown of MS-13 in San Francisco

20 June 2020

C/O Futures Director of Research and Analysis publishes review essay in Small Wars Journal.

Threat Groups: Gangs

Operation Devil Horns focuses on a four year long federal undercover operation against the 20th Street MS-13 clique situated in the Mission District of San Francisco spanning unspecified months from 2004 into 2008. Utilizing multiple confidential informants (CIs) from within the clique, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act was able to be employed against more than forty-two of its members and associates essentially crippling it (p. 221). As mentioned in publisher advertising, the operation was “Set in a city with one of the strictest sanctuary policies protecting illegal immigrants in America…[and]…illustrates how politically correct ideology impacts life-or-death crime fighting on the streets.”[1] As the homicide rate spiked in San Francisco due to the clique’s violent activities and after the sensationalized June 2008 Bologna family killing by MS-13 members, however, took place city governmental cooperation via the SFPD (San Francisco Police Department) with the federal undercover operation greatly increased (pp. 189-197). 

To read more: https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/swj-el-centro-review-essay-operation-devil-horns-takedown-ms-13-san-francisco

The Appearance of Three New Radical Islamist English-Language Online Magazines

10 May 2020

C/O Futures Managing Partner and Director of Research and Analysis publish article in Small Wars Journal.

Threat Groups: Terrorists

Narratives: Salafi-Jihadi

This research note provides an update concerning new radical Islamist English-language online magazines appearing since the ebook publication of The Islamic State English-Language Online Magazine Rumiyah (Rome). Within that work, the following five new magazine issues (for previously identified magazines) concerning the time period January 2017-June 2018 were identified:

• Al Risalah (No. 4); titled: “The Balanced Nation.” January 2017, published by al-Nusrah Front

• Inspire (No. 17); titled: “Train Derail Operations.” July 2017, published by al-Qaeda

• Gaidi Mtaani (Iss. 9); titled: “Ole! Kwa Wanazuoni waovu.” September 2017, published by al Shabaab

• Sunnat E Khola (aka Sunnat Khawlah; Sunnat e Khaula (SK) (Vol. 2); titled “Eid Ul Adha Special.” October 2017, published by Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan

• Al-Ḥaqiqah (Iss. 4, Special Edition); titled “7 Years of Jihad in Syria.” June 2018, published by an al-Qaeda affiliate (Syria)[1]

Since July 2018 to the present, three new radical Islamist English-language online magazines have appeared— Al Rishalah with the publication of two issues in January and February 2019, One Ummah with the publication of one issuein mid September 2019 and Voice of Hind with the publication of two issues in late February and late March 2020.[2] It should be noted that no new issues of pre-existing magazines identified in our earlier works were published during this time span. A general overview of these three new magazines and the contents of their issues follow:

To read more: https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/appearance-three-new-radical-islamist-english-language-online-magazines-al-risalah-one