//The Wire//2000Z July 28, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: MAJOR EARTHQUAKE STRIKES SOUTHERN JAPAN. NETANYAHU ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON D.C. FOR SEN. GRAHAM FUNERAL. HOUTHI TARGETING OF SAUDI OIL REFINERIES REMAINS CONSTANT.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Japan: This morning a major earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.1 struck the Kumamoto prefecture, causing damage to critical infrastructure and residential areas in southern Japan. Aeon Mall was one of the most heavily damaged structures, with several entrapments being reported as shoppers were unable to exit the building due to a partial collapse of the structure. After this collapse, a gas explosion was also reported at the mall, and as of this morning approximately 20-30x people remained missing. Middle East: No major changes to the overall situation were reported overnight. Satellite imagery has become available that confirms the Houthis not just hit the Jazan refinery a few days ago, but also the refinery at Yanbu. This afternoon, the Houthis announced that they had targeted a tanker vessel which has been at anchor off Yanbu for a few days, though the success of this targeting has not yet been confirmed. Analyst Comment: Despite the devastating strikes on Saudi oil facilities over the past few days, oil markets continue to plummet, indicating a sharp departure from the reality of the situation. -HomeFront- Washington D.C. - Yesterday afternoon PM Netanyahu arrived for the state funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, as well as to conduct meetings regarding the war in Iran. This morning, the proceedings for Sen. Graham began at the Capitol, and various politicians and dignitaries are expected to make an appearance throughout the day. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Debate is growing regarding the general status of the war in the Middle East. Iranian targeting has remained fairly tepid after last week's strikes, although the Houthis have continued to deal damage to Saudi infrastructure over the past few days. For the United States, every indicator lined up last week to suggest weekend strikes were going to take place, but leaks from the White House and Pentagon have suggested that the strikes were called off for now. As to why, the rumors diverge sharply and there's no way to get a solid bead on what the actual plan is at the moment. The situation has reached another point (much like has happened before) where the US can just as equally go all-in on another round of strikes, or the US could do nothing. Nevertheless, if strikes are planned, timing wise it's almost certain to take place after Netanyahu returns home from his visit to the US. President Trump himself confirmed one of the main reasons for PM Netanyahu visiting Washington, is to provide an in-person briefing on the infamous Pickaxe Mountain complex at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran. In various statements since this leaked, President Trump pushed back on the significance of this underground complex (and thus indicating less support for conducting another Midnight Hammer-style operation), but as always this can go either way. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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Hello everyone, welcome to GhostNotes, a project to convert a lot of the S2 Underground

NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z July 27, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: WEEKEND SHOOTING REPORTED AT SEATTLE FESTIVAL. VEHICLE RAMMING ATTACK REPORTED IN BERLIN. STABBING ATTACK REPORTED IN PARIS. IRANIAN TARGETING CONTINUES TO STRIKE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT MIDDLE EAST, U.S. HAS NOT RESPONDED YET.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: After the intense Iranian targeting of American positions Friday evening, sporadic Iranian drone strikes have been reported throughout the region. Other than targeting American positions, Iranian drone attacks have also been observed striking Kurdish militia encampments in northeastern Iraq. On the American side, CENTCOM has not disclosed any strikes within Iran for several days. Red Sea/HOA: Nearly the entire Jazan Refinery in Saudi Arabia remains on fire following the Houthi targeting on Saturday. As of last night, fire detection satellites indicated that most of the facility has been totally destroyed and satellite imagery from yesterday indicates a very large fire at this facility is still burning and the smoke plume stretches over 50 miles to the south. Europe: This morning Iran issued a public condemnation of the Ukrainian targeting of a Russian vessel. Over the weekend a Ukrainian drone struck a Russian vessel, which resulted in the death of one crew member. This crew member happened to be an Iranian citizen, which prompted Foreign Minister Araghchi to issue a statement of outrage. Analyst Comment: It is very unlikely that the Ukrainians would have known that one random crewmember onboard a vessel was technically Iranian, but intentional or not, this incident is another step towards linking the war in Europe with the conflict in the Middle East. Germany: On Sunday, a vehicle ramming attack was reported at the Pride festival in Berlin. One assailant ramming his vehicle into a crowd in the vicinity of the Tiergarden west of the Brandenburg Gate, killing one person and wounding 29 others. After the ramming, the suspect exited the vehicle and reportedly stabbed several people with a machete, before fleeing the scene. This prompted a nationwide manhunt for the assailant that was carried out Sunday afternoon. By Sunday evening, the suspect had been located in a residential area of Spandau. Once located, the suspect allegedly tried to stab the arresting officers, which resulted in the suspect being shot and killed. The suspect was identified as Abdul Ballout, who had reportedly just been released from a juvenile detention facility. France: This morning a stabbing attack was reported in Paris, near Porte de Clichy. One assailant stabbed 3x women on the street, before being restrained by bystanders and an off-duty police officer. While being held down by responding citizens, the attacker claimed that the attack was Islamic in nature, prompting the government to classify this incident as a terror attack. -HomeFront- Washington: Yesterday a shooting was reported at the Bite of Seattle food festival at the Seattle Center. Multiple black/Middle Eastern males began shooting at each other inside a crowd at the event, which resulted in 3x people killed, and 4x others wounded. Analyst Comment: This incident was initially reported as a mass shooting, however the multiple shooters were not targeting the crowd, as this was almost certainly a gang/cultural shooting. As a result of the cultural implications, Seattle Police have not released the name of the suspect(s) they have in custody, nor have they released the photo of the suspect which remains at large. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Despite the substantial Iranian targeting over the past few days, the American response has so far been very minimal and no meaningful strikes have been conducted since Friday night within Iran. This is probably a reflection of the calm before the storm, as the United States continues to stage assets for a large scale attack sometime soon. Over the weekend, many phone calls were likely made which may have delayed whatever American targeting was planned to take place, as several Iranian/Houthi targeting efforts appear to have been more substantial than expected. The Houthi strike on the Jazan Refinery was very clearly an extremely devastating strike from the Houthis, which probably caused the Saudis pause regarding how much hurt the Houthis can bring to the table. Similarly, the heavy targeting of Erbil (and Patriot battery at this base) has likely resulted in a degradation of air defenses in this sector. How bad the damage is, is anyone's guess, but based on the scorch marks observed from space last week, it is hard to imagine this air defense site remaining operational. The Iranians have also claimed to have struck half a dozen other air defense sites throughout the region, but these can't be verified until better satellite imagery is available. Which might take time due to the deliberate censorship of imagery as mandated by the U.S. government. Over the past few weeks, anecdotal evidence from locals on the ground throughout the region has increasingly indicated fewer and fewer successful interceptions of Iranian munitions. These reports are very hard to quantify as most of the time it's a shepherd looking up and visually seeing the interceptors miss the Iranian missile, or no interceptors being launched in the first place. Obviously, these reports are about as unconfirmed as it can get, but the smoking craters that are visible on satellite imagery add a lot of credence to the general theory that, for whatever reason, interceptions are not as effective as advertised. However, as it stands the U.S. will probably respond in some way, not just because of the scale of the Iranian missile strikes, but also the fact that this targeting (and the collapse of the ceasefire) has resulted in the Strait of Hormuz remaining fully closed. What that response will be or when it will be carried out, only time will tell. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z July 20, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: CENTCOM CONFIRMS FOUR AMERICAN CASUALTIES FOLLOWING IRANIAN STRIKES IN MIDDLE EAST. ARSON ATTACK REPORTED AT FEDERAL BUILDING IN NYC.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Jordan: Over the weekend CENTCOM confirmed the deaths of three US service members, who were killed as a result of the strikes on a barracks building at Muwaffaq al Salti Airbase. Two of the casualties have been identified as 1LT Tyler James Feehan, and Private Isabella Gonzales. The third casualty officially remains classified as Missing in Action as the remains will require DNA analysis to confirm identity, and has not yet been officially identified. A fourth casualty was also reported somewhere in Iraq, which was the result of an Iranian drone strike. Middle East: Following Iranian targeting of the al-Subiya Power Station, Kuwait has begun to rely on portable substations and generators to provide electricity while repairs are made. The scale of the power outages is not known, but Iranian forces have struck several logistical hubs and electrical power plants over the past few days. In Bahrain, Iranian targeting has remained heavy over the weekend, with several ballistic missile strikes reported at American installations around the country. Strait of Hormuz: Several more merchant vessels were struck over the past few days, most of which were tankers attempting to use the southern Omani route instead of the Iranian route. At least one of these vessels resulted in the crew abandoning ship before being rescued. Iran: After these collective strikes over the weekend, American targeting efforts intensified with the latest bombing campaign focusing on the targeting of bridges and civilian roadway tunnels around Bandar Abbas. Many of the roads that lead to the port city are now cut off, with only a few major roadways allowing access to the city. Several bridges have also already been repaired, and the status of others remains unclear until better satellite imagery is available. -HomeFront- New York: This morning an arson attack was reported at the Federal building in downtown Manhattan. One assailant approached the building with a bucket of gasoline, dumping the bucket at the northeast side of the structure. The suspect immediately ignited the pool of gas, which also contained a mix of commercial grade fireworks. The suspect was immediately detained by the plethora of police already on scene, as the accelerant burned on the sidewalk. Analyst Comment: No motive has yet been conveyed regarding this attack, however some of the paraphernalia scattered throughout the scene of the attack appears to be political in nature, opposing ICE. Washington D.C. - This morning, the latest numbers for Strategic Petroleum Reserve levels were released indicating that over the past week, the US has drained the SPR by an additional 5.1 million barrels, to it's lowest level since the Tanker War in 1983. Analyst Comment: Many might have assumed that the US might have re-stocked the SPR during the two-week ceasefire in the Middle East, however very little oil actually made it out of the region during that time, which amounted to only a tiny fraction of US daily usage. Since the war began five months ago, only a very small percentage of oil has exited the region, and the US has been draining the SPR at breakneck pace in order to keep the country going. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Concerning the American casualties sustained over the weekend, it is extremely important to note that the deaths of 1LT Feehan and PVT Gonzales are officially classified under Operation INHERENT RESOLVE (OIR)...not under Operation EPIC FURY (OEFU). Inherent Resolve is the long-standing mission to combat ISIS in Syria, and not in any way linked to the current war in Iran. As a result, the true number of casualties sustained warrants further investigation. This classification could have been an administrative error, but this would also be a way of camouflaging casualty figures. The Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) is the main database for logging all American casualties, which are defined by military operation. In this case, these deaths are not cataloged under either operation yet, adding to the more broad (but also growing) concerns that the database has been concealing the true number of casualties, specifically the numbers of personnel wounded. In fact, while admonishing these concerns as "baseless and malicious accusations" Assistant Secretary of War Sean Parnell directly contradicted the numbers his own department was producing. He stated in an interview with CBS News that roughly 100 personnel had been wounded throughout the war over the past month....while his own database states that a grand total of zero personnel had been wounded for the month of July, and three in June. If this testimony is accurate, this confirms beyond all doubt that the Pentagon is lying about the number of troops wounded during this campaign. Considering that the Pentagon has disclosed a total of 413x soldiers wounded during this entire campaign, ~100x WIA being reported within a month (which also included a two-week ceasefire) is alarming to say the least. The cause of the fatalities reported over the weekend is also important to note as these deaths were very likely preventable. In the days leading up to the ballistic missile striking the housing at this base, the Iranians successfully struck the Patriot battery in Erbil, Iraq. This missile defense site would have been one of the sites providing protection for missiles launched into Jordan. With this battery offline or at least degraded in some way, it is possible that a clear air corridor existed that allowed Iranian ballistic missiles to fly unchallenged through a gap in air defense coverage. If the Erbil strike also damaged the radar array, it is also very possible that the warning time for an incoming ballistic missile would have been reduced, so any defenses at the target base would have been less effective. Obviously, the true scale of the damage to this air defense site would be classified, so in the public eye we have to guess as to how bad it was based on blurry satellite imagery. However the military commanders who knew the systems and did NOT have to guess, were also the same commanders who had the authority to either issue warnings or orders to disperse from the unprotected Containerized Housing Units (CHUs) that were struck by Iran. The failure of command to disperse their soldiers is what led to these fatalities. The very minute that the Patriot battery was struck in Erbil was a major clue that the Iranians were conducting shaping fires of their own...they were striking the air defense sites so as to open up a gap in air defense coverage, and reach out to American positions with their larger ballistic missiles. Though it is usually in poor taste to reflect on failures in the immediate aftermath of the death of troops, in the interest of expediency sometimes uncomfortable conversations must be had in order to prevent further loss of life. If a gap in air defense coverage is what allowed this strike to happen, it is almost certain that this gap still exists and that the danger to American service members is still not mitigated. For ALL American troops in the Middle East, this observation must be noted: If the Iranians are striking air defense sites, the next assumption must be that the Iranians are planning to strike something that would have been protected by that site. In retrospect this is common sense, but even at this very moment, the continued strikes on American positions (and the nearly total lack of fortification efforts at these bases, even to this day) continues to indicate that the Iranian targeting efforts are not being taken seriously by senior American decision makers. Five months into this war, CENTCOM leadership has still not figured out that the Iranians can strike their bases at will, and as demonstrated by the strikes in Kuwait and Jordan, the US is still not digging in, and also not dispersing enough to avoid troops getting killed. No underground fortification efforts have been undertaken at any base in the Middle East, and satellite imagery indicates that no substantial fortifications have been undertaken either. Granting as much leeway to the Pentagon's decision making process as possible, it is possible that no hardening of defenses would have mattered considering the missiles Iran is launching. Drone defense is one thing, but it would take years to build a bunker that would withstand the impact of an Iranian Fattah or Ghadr missile. Nevertheless, when it comes to defending American positions, doing something is better than doing nothing, and concrete does not take half a year to dry. Even if large-scale construction projects are off the menu, ALL military publications, textbooks, and training scenarios dictate and demand what has been obvious since World War One...Dispersion is the name of the game. This is what kept casualties to a minimum in Bahrain, but different theater commanders have different personal initiatives. Some are more proactive with their defense, and others have done nothing at all, besides making sure that all of the vehicles in the motorpool are lined up neatly. Where this goes from here is anyone's guess, but unless radical and immediate changes are made, the United States will continue to suffer casualties. And as long as the bombing continues which is motivating Iran to target our bases, this indirectly highlights the deficiencies with American air defense technologies, not just for this war, but for the wars to come. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z July 17, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: GULF WAR ESCALATES AS INFRASTRUCTURE TARGETING BEGINS. SIGNIFICANT IRANIAN RETALIATION REPORTED ON AMERICAN INSTALLATIONS. IRANIAN TARGETING OF MERCHANT SHIPPING REMAINS CONSTANT.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: The war escalated again overnight, with the United States beginning the series of strikes on bridges and infrastructure targets intended to soften up areas near the coast of Iran. Several bridges were struck in the vicinity of Bandar Abbas, along with the usual nightly strikes on more military targets. On the Iranian side, the targeting of American installations has been substantial over the past few days. In Iraq, Iranian forces successfully struck the Patriot battery in Erbil, with satellite imagery indicating burn scars in the vicinity of where one launcher was previously located. In the UAE, a series of warehouses and probable weapons storage facilities were destroyed at the Zayed Military City. In Kuwait, one of the HIMARS launcher sites on the Iraqi border was targeted, in addition to a desalination plant providing the fresh water supply for Kuwait City. Persian Gulf: The war on the seas continued with many different strikes and incidents being reported around the region. At the northern end of the Gulf, the UKMTO reported an unidentified incident involving a merchant vessel, which was carried out by unknown parties and in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, several targeting efforts of merchant vessels was reported throughout the day. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Last night's targeting in Iran possibly offers up a clue as to what the military objective of this specific operation might be. The bridges that were struck by the United States are not specifically military targets, however they did offer high-speed avenues of approach to the coastline. If the IRGC ground force needed to reinforce specifically the area of the coastline to the west of Bandar Abbas, north of Qeshm Island, these would be the bridges they would need to use. The bridges that were taken out also would be a way of isolating Bandar Abbas in terms of trade. In addition to the naval base being a military target, this is also a major civilian port city that handles the import of a lot of cargo for the nation (some reports claim up to 80% of Iran's imports arrive at this port). Under normal circumstances, taking out bridges is a tricky subject in the world of military targeting; if the bridge is predominantly used for military purposes, it's usually a valid target, but if it's predominantly a civilian bridge it's not normally legal to target. This categorization gets really blurry really quickly, but what is very clear is that targeting infrastructure like this isolates the military objective into only a few possibilities. Either the United States is attempting to go scorched-earth on civilian infrastructure so as to make life as miserable as possible and thus attempt to turn the populace against the government...or this is pre-shaping fires for other operations that might take place in the vicinity of the coastline. Neither option makes a whole lot of tactical sense, but making sense has not been a prerequisite for any military objective sought so far during this conflict, so the continued targeting over the next few days will probably shed some light on what the objective is with this latest campaign. As of this afternoon, dozens of refueling tankers are once again making their way into the Middle East from Europe and beyond, so the war is likely to continue escalating for foreseeable future. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

Hey everyone, kind of an odd one today. I had a spur of the moment thought this morning and decided that what I was going to say in tomorrow's Intel Update, would be best served as a dedicated podcast/video. I did not want to bog down the more informational content with a full-blown rant segment, so I recorded this separately. Link below!

//The Wire//1800Z July 16, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: UKRAINIAN ATTACKS CONTINUE ON RUSSIAN SHIPPING IN BLACK SEA, RUSSIA RETALIATES BY STRIKING UKRAINIAN SHIPPING. WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO SPREAD IN CANADA.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Europe: The war in Ukraine has continued to expand, with attacks on Russian merchant vessels remaining constant in the Black Sea. Russia has likewise retaliated by striking Ukrainian vessels also located within the Black Sea, as well as several port cities in southwestern Ukraine. Middle East: The war continues as before, with regular strikes taking place in the coastal regions which have been host to targeting for several days. Last night the US struck the port of Bandar Abbas again, and the Iranians have responded with attacks on Kuwait, which continued sporadically overnight. Analyst Comment: One aspect of the war that has not escalated for now, has been the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. After the initial mutual strikes two days ago, the Saudi's have chosen to back off of this line of effort, probably because they realized how bad of an idea it is to start a fight with the Houthis right now. That Saudi East-West Pipeline is the main asset that is keeping Saudi Arabia in the global oil market right now, and the Houthis can very easily threaten their main revenue source. Canada: Over the past few days, wildfires have continued to spread throughout the nation. As of this morning, at total of 859x wildfires are actively burning nationwide in Canada, most of which are clustered in Ontario, Qeubec, and the Northwest Territories. Of these active fires, 63x are out of control with zero percent containment. Evacuations of thousands of rural and tribal areas have been ordered over thousands of square miles, and air quality alerts have been issued for much of the American northeast and mid-Atlantic due to the smoke. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Though not exactly grabbing front page headlines, the war in Ukraine has continued to expand and become increasingly more serious during this year's summer offensive. Numbers are hard to independently verify, but the Ukrainians claim a total of 136x Russian vessels have been struck so far during this Black Sea targeting campaign since it began last week. This number seems a little high, but what is undeniable is that the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov have become a new front during this war...for both sides, as demonstrated by the Russians now targeting Ukrainian ships. Equally important is the impact this is having on the broader Russian oil market. Previous strikes on petroleum refineries resulted in fuel shortages throughout Russia, which have varied by severity and location. Striking tankers in the Black Sea really only impacts the petroleum export market, and the long-term impacts of this will be interesting to follow. Like it or not, the concept of globalization has functioned as designed, and most nations are linked to each other in ways that are not readily apparent at first. Russia mostly exports oil to India and China, and their exports have remained high during the Persian Gulf crisis. So Ukraine, in striking the oil intended for China, is directly playing a hand in the Gulf War...a conflict thousands of miles away. How this will manifest over the next few weeks will be important. Gas prices in the US have been MUCH cheaper than they should be, due to a long list of factors, one of which has been the Chinese dipping into their own reserves to sharply reduce their demand. Ukraine strikes ships intended for China, and China now has to either dip into their reserves more...or buy more oil from the Middle East, and demand goes up in an already restricted supply chain. The Gulf War is still hot to some degree, and the miniscule flow of oil that had begun to trickle out of the Gulf during the ceasefire has once again slowed to a drip...and now that Ukraine is striking Russian oil intended for China, an already tight oil market is probably going to be squeezed even harder. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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Hello everyone, welcome to GhostNotes, a project to convert a lot of the S2 Underground

NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z July 2, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: VEHICLE RAMMING INCIDENT REPORTED IN THAILAND. POTENTIAL TERROR ATTACK THWARTED IN NORTH CAROLINA. GOVERNOR WALZ PARDONS LAOTIAN MIGRANT CONVICTED OF ABUSE, COMPLICATING DEPORTATION. US NAVY HELICOPTER CRASHES IN ARABIAN SEA.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Thailand: This morning a vehicle ramming incident was reported in the remote province of Mukdahan, after one individual rammed a vehicle into a group of Buddhist monks who had just departed on a pilgrimage walk on a remote road. A total of 9x monks were killed during the incident, and an unknown number of others wounded. Analyst Comment: The suspect in this case has not been identified, but has been noted as being an 11-year-old child. As a result it's not clear as to if this is genuinely a deliberate action or not. Initially, eyewitness statements claimed it was a deliberate attack, but other eyewitnesses state that the boy was driving too fast and lost control of the vehicle. More generally, attacks on Buddhists on pilgrimage are comparatively rare, but there has been an ongoing conflict to the south of the incident site which has been referred to as the Malay-Muslim Insurgency, which has taken the form of guerilla warfare carried out between factions of Buddhists and Muslims. In Thailand, something as simple as an unrelated child's mistake (though horribly tragic) can always stir up tensions in an already tense region, so this might be something to be aware of for later on. Middle East: Yesterday afternoon the Pentagon announced an aviation incident which involved an MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter from the USS *GEORGE H.W. BUSH* CSG making an emergency landing feet-wet in the Arabian Sea. Three of the four crew members of the aircraft were rescued immediately after the crash, however the fourth crewmember remains missing. Analyst Comment: CENTCOM has not confirmed the cause of the incident, however the crash is not believed to be the result of combat damage. The Iranians have not claimed to have targeted a helicopter, nor have there been any engagements over the past 24 hours in the region. -HomeFront- Minnesota: Gov. Tim Walz pardoned Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian man who had been convicted of crimes against children years ago. Vang had been engaging in the traditional Laotian practice of taking an unwilling child bride, and was subsequently arrested and given a deportation order back in 2006. He took a plea deal which allowed him avoid prison completely, and for twenty years has been fighting his deportation case. Yesterday, Gov. Walz approved his pardon request roughly a week before his schedule deportation. Analyst Comment: It is unclear as to why a state pardon would have any bearing whatsoever with federal immigration law, but the statements made by Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis suggest that the DHS is not keen to press the issue at the federal level. The DHS press release on this case expressed outrage, but no action to actually continue following through on the deportation. North Carolina: Following the release of court documents yesterday, details have come to light pertaining to a probable attempted terror attack that took place on Sunday in High Point. On Sunday, a member of the security team spotted a suspicious individual approaching Wesley Memorial Methodist Church during the morning services. One suspect arrived in the church parking lot wearing body armor and camouflaged clothing, prompting the attention of a member of the church security staff. Upon approaching the individual, the security guard questioned the suspect, who stated that he was a police officer. As the security team member was an off-duty police officer himself, he instantly knew that the man was lying, and immediately took the man into custody. After more authorities arrived on scene, a search of the suspect's vehicle revealed two flamethrowers, two crossbows, a few hundred rounds of ammunition (unknown type), as well as a small collection of narcotics. The suspect has been identified as William S. Milliken III, a native of Thomasville. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Regarding the potential church terrorism incident, no motive or explanation for the suspicious incident was noted, however incidents like this are extremely common in the world of counterterrorism. Individuals determined to carry out acts of terrorism are frequently known to conduct "dry runs" before the actual attack, so as to both work out the final logistics of their plan, but also to get up the gumption to follow through with the attack. It is not clear as to if this individual had any connection to the church, or had visited the church beforehand. However, arriving exactly during services on Sunday in a full tactical loadout, as primitive as it was, is not something that normally indicates a dry run. Though it is speculation, it's possible that the suspect did not know that the church had security on site, or that the one responder would have been as on-the-ball as he was. Concerning motive, nothing has been disclosed. A would-be assailant who shows up to a terrorist attack with 500x rounds of ammunition but no firearm is an interesting data point, and the choice of crossbows and flamethrowers as an attack vector indicates that a proper firearm probably could not be procured. More details may come to light as this case progresses, but even based on the initial details, this is another reminder for religious institutions to remain vigilant and report any suspicious observations to authorities. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

This week's intel update is out! Once more another week blazes by, and the conflagrations around the world continue to simmer. From the Fiery-But-Mostly-Irish protests in Northern Ireland, to a bit of mathematical impossibilities in the Middle East, the summertime keeps heating up all around. Link:

//The Wire//2300Z June 5, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: UKRAINIAN DRONE BOATS FOUND IN ROMANIAN PORT NEAR OIL TERMINAL, ONE DETONATION REPORTED. KARMELO ANTHONY TRIAL BEGINS IN TEXAS. SOCIAL TENSIONS CONTINUE IN UNITED KINGDOM.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: The conflict has continued to expand, with Iranian drone attacks taking place at Oman's oil terminals in Mina Al Fahal. Omani authorities suspended oil export operations this morning, before claiming that operations had returned to normal a few hours later. United Kingdom: Societal tensions continue as old criminal cases reach a conclusion this week. Yesterday, a group of migrants were sentenced for crimes committed during an attempted revenge killing that took place in Stoke-on-Trent back in 2021. Five years ago, this mob of migrants broke into a home and set a woman on fire in front of her child, during a cultural murder attempt that stemmed from one of them stabbing the other, triggering an honor-killing retaliation attempt. Several people were also stabbed during this attack, as a fight between rival migrant factions broke out in the street during the incident. Five of these men were recently found guilty of this attack, and earlier this week two of the attackers, Naveed Hussain and Bilal Ahmed, were sentenced to what ended up being time-served, a small fine, and community service. In Southampton, significant law enforcement operations are underway to identify rioters which pushed garbage cans toward police during the recent Southampton unrest resulting from the Nowak murder trial. So far three demonstrators have been arrested and charged, and continuing the recent trend, one individual who was arrested on Thursday has already been tried, convicted, and sentenced. This individual was sentenced to 3-5 years prison time for throwing a traffic cone in the general direction of the police, which never made contact with them. Analyst Comment: These contrasting incidents are just two of a dozen that have stoked tensions throughout the British Isles this week. As a result, these events have been piling on after the Nowak murder trial elevated public anger to new heights, and last week a different case involved a pair of migrants being acquitted, even though they broke a policewoman's nose during a street fight with officers at Manchester airport two years ago. Romania: This morning at least one (possibly up to four) Ukrainian naval drones were discovered floating in the port of Constanța. One Sea-Baby Mark II (Avdiivka) type Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) was discovered floating inside the port by workers at one of the oil terminals. Before Romanian EOD teams could respond to the scene and tow the boat to a safer location, the explosive boat self-detonated, catching locals off guard who were inside the blast zone. After this explosion, a search was conducted for other drone boats in the general area, and some reports claim that three more Ukrainian USVs were found, though the exact geolocation of these vessels has not been disclosed. -HomeFront- Texas: The Karmelo Anthony murder trial has begun in Collin County, with demonstrations and protests already set up outside the courthouse. The jury in this case has not been sequestered, and they are being sent to their own homes every night without any security or protection measures despite the activists threatening to kill people outside the courthouse. Analyst Comment: This is going to be a hot trial, with a high potential for riots no matter the outcome. Like it or not, this is already a racial thing, and the situation at the courthouse has been rather spicy even though the trial has just begun. So far, the numbers of activists and militant groups on site at the courthouse remains comparatively low; only a maximum of few dozen people have been observed, with most of the persistent protests being hosted by a handful of people who can afford to attend a protest during a workday. Nevertheless, the more hostile crowds are already on site, and the potential for riots and violence is already high, with larger crowds expected to gather over the weekend. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Based on the geolocation alone, there is nearly zero chance that the drones found in Romania were merely off-course munitions, which washed ashore after losing contact or becoming damaged. The main explosive boat that was discovered, was found deep inside the port (past multiple breakwaters) nestled directly adjacent to a major oil terminal where oil tankers normally are berthed to onload petroleum. More broadly, drone boats washing ashore (either from some kind of mechanical failure, or due to combat damage) is not exactly a rare sight along the Black Sea coast as these things happen sometimes in war. However in this case, it would be extraordinarily unlikely for this vessel to end up where it did, just based on the drifting of the tides. The addition of three other drones, all with independent guidance systems and control measures, also being found in the same area decreases the chance that this was an accident. The drones found outside the port can be explained away easily, but the one found deep inside the port right next to a highly flammable oil terminal of all things, is harder to justify. As a result, this was almost certainly a deliberate action, though the motive for such is questionable. Romania and Ukraine are on the same side during this conflict, and it would make no sense to target Romanian oil, because Ukraine itself is one of Romania's biggest clients. It's possible that this attack is a false-flag incident conducted by Russia, but that's unlikely at the moment because Russia has not had much success in mimicking Ukraine's drone boats, and if this was the Russians it would be an uncharacteristically well-detailed deception operation. On the other hand, it's also possible that this was a false-flag attack conducted by Ukraine, using their own drones (which were planned to detonate before being discovered), but due to either jamming or some other mistake, did not explode before the sun rose this morning and the drones were discovered. Regardless of what the investigation eventually discovers, it is almost certain that these drone boats were genuinely Ukrainian, and did not end up inside the harbor by accident. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//The Wire//1800Z March 26, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: UKRAINE TARGETS RUSSIAN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE NEAR ST. PETERSBURG. QATAR SEEKS DEAL WITH IRAN TO CEASE IRANIAN ATTACKS ON QATARI OIL REFINERIES.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Middle East: The conflict continues for the main belligerents, while several GCC states seek a more neutral approach. The nation of Qatar has reportedly struck a deal with the Iranians to settle the dispute between their nations, and as a result Iranian strikes within Qatar have shifted to solely targeting American equipment and installations instead of Qatari oil infrastructure. In Kuwait, operations at the airport remain degraded as the fuel tanks that were struck yesterday continued burning overnight. Iranian strikes on Israeli infrastructure have continued, with multiple strikes being reported in Tel Aviv yesterday evening. Lebanon: Israeli forces continued their northern push along an axis of advance from the south, and from the east. Over the past three days, Israeli targeting efforts have concentrated fire on various targets south of the Litani, in preparation for the subsequent ground movements. On Tuesday, the Israeli Defense Minister openly stated the goal of invading Lebanon is to seize all of the terrain south of the Litani River. This plan has been supported by the destruction of bridges across the Litani River, which has been intensifying over the past few days. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: As the war rages in the Middle East, the conflict in Europe has seen a resurgence of offensive actions over the past few days. Last night, the M/T *ALTURA* was struck by a drone (likely Ukrainian) in the Black Sea shortly after departing Russia with a cargo of oil. This is the second such strike in recent weeks, which also follows multiple substantial strikes on Russian oil infrastructure over the past few days, which have substantially degraded Russia's oil export capability in the north. The oil export terminal in Ust-Luga was struck two days ago, resulting in substantial damage to Russia's main oil terminal on the Baltic Sea. Similarly, the oil terminal in Primorsk was also hit by Ukrainian drones, with both facilities remaining on fire as of this morning. Both of these attacks are significant as they are likely a strategic attempt to reduce the capabilities for Russia to capitalize on the growing energy crisis in the Middle East, linking the two conflicts at the strategic level to some degree. Growing reports are also emerging that suggest Russia may be supplying the Iranians with drones, or the components to make them. At the moment, this is just rumor that's impossible to confirm with any reliability, but it would make a lot of sense for Russia to want to turn the screws to the United States after it's become clear that it's just as hard for us to extricate ourselves from our own "special military operation" as it has been for Russia. Focusing on the more tangible aspects of the war, the targeting efforts in the Baltic are also a demonstration of why it is a very wise move to remained generally informed on wars that are being fought on the other side of the world...in the age of the drone a war being fought in Persia can threaten Scandinavia due to the nature of combatants everywhere seeking to capitalize on a conflict in a faraway land. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//The Wire//2300Z March 20, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: WAR CONTINUES IN MIDDLE EAST AS CHINA BEGINS MAKING DIPLOMATIC MOVES. UNITED STATES DEPLOYS SECOND MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT TO CENTCOM.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Middle East: Iranian forces successfully engaged an American F-35 aircraft during a strike mission within Iran. IRGC officials initially released footage of a missile impacting an F-35, which most people assumed was probably fake, initially. However CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins stated that one F-35 did make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, but declined to directly confirm what caused the incident. Analyst Comment: Due to the all evidence available to the public, it is almost certain that the Anti-Aircraft engagement did happen, and that the aircraft survived the encounter enough to limp back across the Gulf to friendly lines. This is also indicated by the Iranians themselves via the classic "trim the clip and replay it a million times so that the viewer can't see the aircraft managed to survive" tactic which was heavily used for this short video clip. More strategically, this is an indicator that the United States is not operating under the state of "uncontested airspace" that was advertised at the start of the war. Almost three weeks into the conflict the airspace is still very much contested, and the Iranians have some level of effective air defense that is able to actually successfully target the F-35 platform. -HomeFront- California: Yesterday the USS *BOXER* (LHD-4) departed port San Diego ahead of schedule for a deployment to the Middle East. The 11th MEU is embarked on this vessel, and will be the second MEU dedicated to CENTCOM, supplementing the USS *TRIPOLI* which will be arriving in theater soon. Analyst Comment: This is an indication and warning that a Ground Combat Element to the current war in Iran is actively being considered and planned for. At this moment it's too soon to tell if this is a serious endeavor, but it would be wise to consider that President Trump does not have a history of bluffing on military matters. So far, from Midnight Hammer to Venezuela, every threat of military use has come to fruition eventually. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: As the war rages in the Middle East, China and other nations throughout Asia have been making moves of their own. On Wednesday, Chinese officials offered to provide LNG to Taiwan if they were to consider coming under Beijing's rule. Taiwan has obviously rejected the offer, stating that they have alternative means of maintaining energy security (i.e. the United States). While China knew this offer would have been rejected, it's in line with China's policy of moving goalposts incredibly slowly over time. All of this is helpful to view in the context of this year's Annual Threat Assessment provided by the Director of National Intelligence. While focus has been on the DNI for other reasons lately, this yearly report came out a few days ago, and revealed a surprising change of mentality for China. The official stance of the DNI is that China will not attempt to militarily conquer Taiwan, and will instead attempt a more soft approach, bringing Taiwan under the fold via economic means. This puts on full display the differences of opinion within the IC on the Taiwan issue, which have been growing over the years; it has become a common theory that China would prefer to take Taiwan indirectly rather than fighting for it, due to the costliness of invading such a nation as Taiwan. Within the Intelligence Community, official assessments are often centered around who's the loudest, and not necessarily who's right. Opinions on China have largely been a knife-fight within the IC for a while now, and the DNI report might reflect a change of heart on the Taiwan issue. For years, the loudest voices have been that China was planning a full-scale invasion of Taiwan, which is still a very solid theory. The DNI's report is surprising for very nuanced reasons: This report acknowledges that there is another possible theory, and that the alternative (the peaceful economic takeover) is actually most likely. Either way, the war in the Middle East has complicated the situation, and however that conflict works out will determine how much political influence the Chinese have in their quest to expand their regional dominance. China's strategy with Taiwan is essentially "do nothing, win" and now that another hot shooting war is underway in the Middle East, the Chinese are very unlikely to interrupt their enemy when they are making a mistake. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//The Wire//2300Z March 13, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: TERROR ATTACKS CONTINUE IN THE AMERICAN HOMELAND. WAR CONTINUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. AMERICAN AIRCRAFT CRASHES IN IRAQ, NO SURVIVORS REPORTED.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Persian Gulf: Last night CENTCOM reported the loss of one KC-135 Stratotanker, which crashed in western Iraq. Rescue operations were conducted immediately, however all six crew members have been confirmed deceased. The incident occurred as a result of a mid-air collision, which involved another KC-135 aircraft that was also damaged. Strait of Hormuz: This morning another commercial vessel was struck while attempting to transit the Strait, which resulted in catastrophic damage to the vessel. The crew abandoned ship, and several crew members remain missing. Turkey: Another ballistic missile was intercepted overnight, as Iranian forces continue to target Incirlik Airbase. This is the third such interception since the war began. UAE: Overnight drone attacks continued to strike Dubai, with the International Financial Center being struck by a Shahed drone yesterday evening. Analyst Comment: Today was also the third day in a row that the UAE has changed their reporting criteria. Social media reports no longer list the total number of drones that impact within their country, with the daily rollup reports instead stating the number of drones and missiles that were "dealt with". Due to the video confirmation of drones impacting within Dubai overnight, these reports are now openly misleading, as the number of successful Iranian strikes remains unreported. -HomeFront- Michigan: Yesterday afternoon a vehicle ramming and small arms attack was reported at Temple Israel, one of the largest synagogues in Michigan. The attack began as a vehicle ramming attack targeting the main entrance to the facility. After the suspect breached the entrance, he exited the vehicle and was engaged by security personnel on site, who neutralized the attacker. Initial reports claim that the suspect also had explosives inside his vehicle, however authorities have not confirmed this yet as the vehicle caught fire during the incident and burned down a substantial portion of the structure, including the suspect. No one but the attacker was killed during the attack. Analyst Comment: The suspect in this case has been identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized US Citizen originally from Lebanon. Some sources claim that he conducted the attack due to to his family being killed in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Beirut yesterday, however these claims cannot be independently verified at this time. Either way, the suspect attacked the 12,000-member synagogue on a Thursday afternoon when almost no one was at the facility, which is an indicator that the terrorist did not have much time to plan the attack. More information is expected later on, as forensic analysis of the remains and vehicle debris is conducted. Virginia: Yesterday a mass shooting was reported at Old Dominion University after a terrorist entered a classroom and began targeting students. Local authorities state that a lone gunman entered an ROTC classroom at ODU shortly before 11:00am yesterday morning, first shooting the instructor, who has been identified as LTC Brandon Shah. Immediately after the first shots were fired, the cadets in the classroom mounted a counterattack, using violence of action to subdue the attacker. At some point during the attack one cadet produced a pocket knife which was subsequently utilized in stabbing the attacker to death. The assailant was found dead by police at the scene after being stabbed 22x times. Analyst Comment: The suspect in this case has been identified as Mohamad Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized US citizen from Sierra Leone and former National Guard soldier who had previously been convicted of attempting to carry out a terrorist attack. In 2016, Jalloh was arrested after attempting to procure firearms with the intent to carry out a Fort Hood-style mass shooting, which resulted in him being imprisoned in 2017 before he was released in 2024. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: In the Middle East, local pro-Iranian militia groups such as the infamous Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have claimed credit for downing the KC-135 over western Iraq last night. However, it's extremely unlikely that the aircraft was shot down based on the damage that was sustained by the other KC-135 involved in the incident. The damaged tail section of the surviving aircraft contained no fragmentation or blast damage indicative of a missile strike, which would be expected in the event of combat damage. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//The Wire//2300Z January 30, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: NEW FED CHAIR ANNOUNCED. ANTI-ICE GROUPS REORGANIZING AFTER SIGNAL CHAT LEAK TEMPORARILY DISRUPTED OPERATIONS IN MINNEAPOLIS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -HomeFront- New Jersey: Governor Mikie Sherrill announced the creation of a government database to track ICE agents throughout the state. Residents have been encouraged by the Governor herself to conduct intelligence collection of ICE operations, and upload reports to a government-created web portal. Analyst Comment: This portal had not been released yet, however it's expected to be launched soon. This follows similar efforts from around the country, as counter-ICE organization becomes sanctioned by many state governments. USA: Around the nation, various protests and demonstrations were carried out today, largely centered around anti-ICE causes. In Minneapolis, crowds formed again at City Hall and the Whipple Federal building, which has seen a persistent (albeit dwindling) turnout over the past few days. Other demonstrations were also carried out in Maine (where ICE surge operations are coming to an end), as well as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: In Washington, the timeless tradition of dumping information on a Friday has continued with several different developments. On the economic front, this morning President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. In addition to naming a new Fed Chair, a few more names have dropped as well, mostly in the form of a few million pages of Epstein files being released. Around 3 million allegedly new documents and thousands of videos have been posted online by the Department of Justice, however it will obviously take some time to determine if any of this information is truly new, or helpful for determining the national security implications of this case. On a related note, indications and warnings are mounting regarding another round of strikes in Iran. Nothing is certain at the moment, and rhetoric has been flying all around, but the US is moving a lot of military aircraft into the region at an increasing rate. Al-Udeid Airbase (the facility that is the chief target for Iranian retaliation) still has not been evacuated yet, however, there are currently a few exercises involving aircraft movement throughout the region...exercises that provide a convenient reason to stage forces throughout the area. In any case, it's all speculation at the moment and only time will tell as to if the United States is going to follow through on the rhetoric to conduct strikes once again. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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//The Wire//2300Z January 26, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: VIOLENCE ESCALATES IN MINNEAPOLIS AS COUNTER-ICE GROUPS CONTINUE TO OPERATE FREELY. UNREST EMERGES IN MAINE AS ANTI-ICE PROTESTS CONTINUE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -HomeFront- Maine: Anti-ICE demonstrations have begun to increase in Portland, which have continued in the same manner as observed in Minneapolis. Friday night, activists conducted disruption/noise-making efforts outside several hotels in Portland, which were suspected of housing ICE agents. Minnesota: The situation in Minneapolis has continued to deteriorate, as riots became more violent and more organized over the weekend. In the vicinity of the shooting site along Nicollet Avenue, civil unrest remained constant throughout the day of the shooting, with many different roadblocks being emplaced on the cardinal points surrounding the site. Similarly, every business on this street that had outdoor decorations, dumpsters, or anything else, found their property stolen so as to emplace the ANTIFA-style roadblocks that are customary of that organization. These roadblocks prevented the free flow of traffic, and remained in place until local police cleared the roadway in the early hours of the next morning. Throughout Saturday night, instances of vandalism were reported, such as graffiti being spray painted at a Pizza restaurant on the corner of 27th and Nicollet. This restaurant is currently abandoned (and is therefore undefended Key Terrain) after closing down last year. Across the street from the Black Sheep Pizza Reference Point, two armed representatives of the Socialist Rifle Association (SRA) were observed posted up at the intersection of Nicollet and E 27th Street, conducting a short Presence Patrol operation. Sunday morning, Area Denial operations were also noted around the city at large. At least one individual was arrested after emplacing homemade caltrops on the roadway, which were set up as vehicle obstacles in areas where federal forces were conducting patrols. On the Civil Unrest front, Sunday evening riots were reported at area hotels, which have also become increasingly more violent. Several situations have been reported involving federal agents being swarmed. Overnight, federal Division of Prisons officers were attacked and wounded by rioters who attacked them at the Hilton Home2 Suites east of the University. Concerning the composition and disposition of other forces, National Guard troops under the command of Gov. Walz have established a position adjacent to the Whipple Federal building, which is serving as a support site for protesters. Over the weekend, Walz's soldiers provided materiel aid to the protest group outside the Whipple Federal building, which took the form of handing out free hot chocolate and donuts to the demonstrators. This was mostly a squad-sized effort for PR purposes, and not a persistently occupied position. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: In addition to the tactical situation on the ground in Minneapolis, one of the group chats used to coordinate the unrest activities was leaked over the weekend. This group chat is being used to dox and harass ICE agents, plan violence at riots, and coordinate and liaise with ICEWatch and Defend612 cells throughout the city. This Signal chat leak also identified several businesses which are specifically working with ICEWatch to host space at their venues for Observation Posts to be stood up. Most restaurants and storefronts in Minneapolis have signs on their doors banning ICE from entering, but the active steps to provide materiel aid to ICEWatch personnel is another point of escalation that has been occurring for some time, without much notice. In terms of other forces on the ground, local law enforcement and National Guard forces are either being ordered to stand down and not assist federal agents, or are being given menial taskings far away from the actual conflict zones, and therefore are combat ineffective. For context, Gov. Walz has also ordered his troops to change their uniform posture for identification purposes. Forces under the command of Gov. Walz are wearing Yellow Vests, separating them out from any Federal troops that may be deployed to the area. More broadly, rioters have transitioned out of the phase of only causing civil unrest, and are getting more powerful and organized as directed by the State. Politicians at the city and state level are doing everything in their power to stoke up the violence, which now includes directly leading and liaising with the groups responsible for the unrest, as indicated by the Signal chat leaks. It is this organization that sets the Minneapolis situation apart from other instances of civil unrest, and it is also why the use of Lethal Force will continually be applied when all other options to control the situation have failed. Federal agents cannot (and should not) be expected to allow themselves to be dragged by a crowd and beaten to death in the streets, and if there is a reasonable perception of that being a possibility the use of force will be justified. Therefore, more small arms engagements are a certainty as long as the attacks on ICE agents are being directed by groups linked to State officials. However, even though Minneapolis is grabbing all of the headlines right now, other efforts are underway in other areas. Large-scale protests are growing in nearly every state, from Utah to Georgia. Due to the increased ICE operations, Maine is likely to be host to an elevated level of unrest for some time as demonstrators use the same Minneapolis playbook in other areas. As such, many other states are likely to witness increased protest activity by proxy, as long as the situation in Minneapolis remains hot. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//The Wire//2300Z January 21, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: UNITED STATES SEIZES ANOTHER OIL TANKER IN CARIBBEAN. ICE BEGINS SURGE OPERATIONS IN MAINE. DHS-INVOLVED SHOOTING REPORTED IN CALIFORNIA.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Caribbean: Yesterday afternoon US SOUTHCOM announced the seizure of the tanker *SAGITTA*, continuing the operation to seize sanctioned vessels throughout the region. Analyst Comment: This vessel had been on the sanctions list for a while, and regularly smuggled oil from Venezuela to Russia. This is the seventh oil tanker seized so far during this campaign. -HomeFront- California: This morning a DHS-involved shooting was reported in Los Angeles, in the vicinity of 126th Street and Mona Boulevard in Willowbrook. DHS agents were attempting to detain an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, who was wanted for violent crimes as well as human trafficking. During the operation to arrest him, he attacked agents, resulting in at least one officer discharging his weapon. Nobody was hit during the engagement, however the agent who engaged the suspect suffered unspecified wounds during the incident. USA: Around the nation, yesterday's national walkout campaign took place largely without much incident or impact. Several small demonstrations were noted in a few major cities, but nothing major. Several larger demonstrations and walk out campaigns are scheduled for later this week, and a general nationwide labor strike is planned for Friday. Separately, the National March for Life is scheduled to take place in Washington D.C. on Friday, which is usually a fairly large event every year. Counter-protesters usually always make a presence, and since this year's demonstration coincides with a labor strike, it's possible that bigger crowds might turn out on all sides. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: In Maine, tensions are rising on a few different fronts. Following the recent scandals involving Somali fraud in Minneapolis, similar investigations have been underway throughout the state, which have uncovered fraud on an industrial scale in Lewiston. Over the past few weeks, more indictments and instances of fraud have come to light, which has brought increased scrutiny to smaller cities (such as Lewiston) where fraud appears to be running rampant. Separately, on the immigration front, ICE has begun surge operations throughout the state. ICE agents have already been carrying out immigration law enforcement operations in the state for some time, however due to the national spotlight being placed on Minneapolis, activists groups in Maine are eager to combat ICE in their state as well. Continuing the trend of the past few months, several hotlines have been established by NGOs, which specifically aid and abet illegals in evading capture in Maine. For context, the website of just one of these organizations, the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, lists total of 112 different organizations and other NGOs that are in their network, which provide resources to illegals evading immigration law. To put this number in perspective, Maine only has about 30 hospitals throughout the state, so there are approximately three times more immigration support facilities than there are medical facilities in the entire state. And on top of that, this is just one network and their partners; there are dozens more like this. They even have a handy link analysis chart already built on their own website, which shows the links between the dozens of agencies all fighting to interfere with immigration enforcement operations. This points not only to the significance of the funding and organization of all of this, but also how substantial of an effort is being undertaken to evade the enforcement of immigration law. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//The Wire//2300Z November 14, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: PENTAGON ANNOUNCES OPERATION SOUTHERN SPEAR IN CARIBBEAN. IRAN HIJACKS OIL TANKER. ATTEMPTED STABBING REPORTED AT PARIS TRAIN STATION.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: This morning Iranian forces seized a crude oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The M/T *TALARA* was hijacked and taken into Iranian waters. This vessel is flagged out of the Marshall Islands, but is owned and operated by the Pasha Finance company out of Cyprus. France: This morning a stabbing attack was reported at the Montparnasse train station in Paris. One 44-year-old man was shot by police after becoming erratic and waving around a knife. One person was also wounded during the police response; a bystander was shot in the foot by a stray bullet intended for the man with the knife. The assailant survived the shooting, and was taken into custody. Analyst Comment: Not much is known about this attack, however locals state that the man was traveling with his wife and children, when a domestic dispute broke out. The man became belligerent and produced a knife, before police rapidly intervened. Caribbean: Yesterday evening the Pentagon announced the formalization of the effort to combat drug trafficking in the region. The mission is now called Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR, and is expected to expand into a broader military campaign. Analyst Comment: So far, not much has come of this, it's really just giving a name to bring the whole effort under a unified umbrella of command. However, it does highlight that this campaign is just that...a campaign. The end goals of this mission as stated continue to be vague, just the general concept of combating drug trafficking in the region. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: This afternoon, Venezuelan accounts on social media published footage of a shootdown incident involving Venezuelan F-16's and an unidentified civilian aircraft. Per the reports, Venezuela shot down the unidentified civilian aircraft. At the moment two videos have been circulating on this topic and a few photos that reportedly show the impact site have emerged as well, so at face value this does appear to be a genuine shootdown incident. However, most of the context is missing; this could have been a mistake, or something to do with narcotics trafficking, or even more of a military/espionage sort of thing. As the source veracity isn't really know, it's hard to verify. Either way, shooting down an aircraft at a time when tensions are extremely high in the region doesn't do much to cool the situation down. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z November 13, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS AS BILL PASSES TO FUND GOVERNMENT THROUGH JANUARY. GROWING DISSENT IN MEXICO AS PROTEST PLANNED FOR THIS WEEKEND. STABBING ATTACK STRIKES MANCHESTER.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Global: Geomagnetic storm concerns persist as 11x U.S. States have issued warnings of power outages due to voltage fluctuations caused by recent solar weather. Analyst Comment: So far a few sporadic power outages have been reported randomly around Europe, along with a few around the United States. Nothing too serious yet, though. United Kingdom: Stabbing attacks have continued, with a stabbing occurring overnight in Manchester after a 15-year-old was found with life-threatening stab wounds near the Abraham Moss tram stop. Mexico: Fortification efforts have been noted at several critical sites around Mexico City, as riots are expected to pop off this weekend. Protests have been building over the past few weeks, with a major event planned for Saturday, to protest Sheinbaum's government. -HomeFront- Washington D.C. - Yesterday afternoon President Trump signed the bill to officially re-open the government. The continuing resolution that was passed will fund the government until January, when this process will begin all over again. However, a few programs (such as the SNAP program) received funding until next year. Washington D.C. - Yesterday the United States officially minted the last penny following the cessation of production due to spending cuts. The penny still serves as legal tender, however the one cent coin has officially been phased out of production. Illinois: The search continues for a man who attempted to murder a passenger on the UIC-Halsted Blue Line train in Chicago. The attacker removed a large knife from his backpack and stabbed a woman in the chest on the platform near the university stop, before egressing from the area. The woman remains in critical condition, and the assailant has not been apprehended yet. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Much like within the United States, protests and demonstrations aren't always easy to categorize in Mexico. For instance, the general dissent with Sheinbaum's government mostly arises from general sentiments of corruption. In short, many Mexicans are concerned with Sheinbaum being more of a puppet for the Cartels than is usual for the President of Mexico. The media groups keep telling people that violent crime is down, and that things are looking up, however the average citizen looks around and doesn't see that narrative playing out in reality. Or at least, that's what most protesters have expressed themselves. Clearly the Mexican government expects trouble if this level of fortification has been emplaced, but we'll see how events play out on Saturday. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z November 11, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: VBIED ATTACK STRIKES ISLAMABAD, 12X FATALITIES REPORTED. RIOTS BREAK OUT AT UC BERKELEY AT STUDENT EVENT. WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES ECONOMIC INITIATIVES. SOLAR FLARES PROMPT SPACE WEATHER WATCHES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Global: Several Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) from the sun were reported yesterday, which are expected to result in the observance of aurora at lower latitudes than normal tonight and possibly the next few days. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a G4 (Severe) Geomagnetic Storm Watch this morning, which is valid for this evening into tomorrow. Analyst Comment: This is nothing to freak out over, but still something to keep in mind just in case power outages strike some areas. Interference with radio communications should also be expected as well, particularly shortwave frequencies. When solar weather is more active (as it is right now), weird things tend to happen, which are nearly impossible to predict. In practical terms, this usually means that people living at lower latitudes can see the Northern Lights, but what people can't usually see is the interference, fluctuations, and anomalies that this kind of thing causes with anything that relies on electricity to function. These CMEs are a bit bigger than normal, and at least one is directed at Earth (meaning that it's more likely to be impactful that usual, as the solar energy will hit our atmosphere more directly). So communications and electrical infrastructure may be damaged later tonight. Thursday night should be the worst, but the space weather forecast is still rather variable at the moment. Pakistan: Following yesterday's explosion in India, a Vehicle-Borne IED was detonated outside a court in Islamabad. 9-12x people were killed and dozens wounded during the attack. Tehrik-e-Taliban - Pakistan (otherwise known as TTP, or the main Taliban faction operating within Pakistan) claimed responsibility for the attack. Analyst Comment: Immediately following this explosion (which is the worst Islamabad has experienced in many years), locals reported Pakistan starting to move military resources toward the border with India. Right now it's hard to say what's going on, but two deadly explosions detonating in the heart of two nations that are constantly at each other's throats is probably going to result in tensions escalating a bit once again. -HomeFront- California: A general state of unrest broke out at UC Berkeley last night following a series of Turning Point USA events at the university. ANTIFA militants clashed with police, prevented other students from attending the TPUSA event, and otherwise caused much disturbance. Analyst Comment: Going into the heart of the beast of Berkeley, with a Charlie Kirk event no less, was always going to result in this level of kinetic activity, so it is a miracle nobody was killed. Berkeley may be infamous for many things, but it's also a legendary ANTIFA stronghold where militants dominate the terrain in significant numbers. Flyers advertising this riot were spread weeks ago, which signifies the level of planning present for something that seems as simple as a counter-protest/riot. Washington D.C. - Several developments on the economic front have been announced over the past few days. The White House has announced efforts to normalize 50 year mortgages, while Fannie Mae has announced plans to remove their minimum credit score required to obtain a home loan, instead using their own risk assessment criteria to evaluate each loan independently of a minimum credit score. In a media interview with Fox, President Trump also reiterated plans to bring 600,000 Chinese students into the United States, confirming again the plans to double the number of Chinese students allowed into the US. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: It has been a bit of a rough week for the White House, there's no escaping that reality. This has not been made much better by the conflicting details that have emerged regarding another wave of stimulus checks. President Trump stated that $2,000 stimulus checks will be sent out to every taxpayer, the funding of which will come from the proceeds generated from the implementation of tariffs. President Trump posted about this plan several times over the weekend, using the clearest possible language to confirm that the plan is for the $2,000 to be distributed as a simple direct deposit. However, statements from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicate the exact opposite, and that this "stimulus check" may take the form of a tax "rebate", or something else that doesn't involve a direct payment to citizens. Bessent specifically mentioned that this may take the form of the "no tax on tips" initiative, as in, Americans might not get an actual check, but rather the assurance that $2,000 worth of tips won't be taxed. At the moment it's not possible to determine what the truth actually is, so more clarification is expected in due time. There are rumors of internal disputes arising from all of these economic decisions as of late, so there may be backtracking in one way or another. For now though, it's not really clear as to what clarifications (or outright reversals) may come about, if any. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

GhostNotes - S2 Underground GhostNotes - Obsidian Publish

Hello everyone, welcome to GhostNotes, a project to convert a lot of the S2 Underground

//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z October 23, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: UNREST CONTINUES IN IRELAND AS CENSORSHIP CRACKDOWN INTENSIFIES. ILLEGAL MIGRANT FROM INDIA CAUSES FATAL CRASH IN CALIFORNIA. MIGRANT WOES CONTINUE THROUGHOUT EUROPE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: The war continues as before. Following Israeli strikes in Lebanon a few days ago, more significant airstrikes were reported in southern Lebanon overnight. Yesterday evening the Israeli Knesset voted to annex the West Bank, a move which has drawn slight criticism from the United States due to the war continuing to widen after the ceasefire was broken last week. SECSTATE Marco Rubio condemned this vote and VP Vance stated that Israel will not be allowed to annex the West Bank. Italy: A man was arrested on Tuesday after attempting to kidnap a child from a stroller near the train station in Bologna. Local authorities state that the man, who is an illegal immigrant from Gambia, approached a family on the sidewalk and attempted to grab their newborn child from their stroller. After local citizens fought back against him, he fled the scene before being arrested later in an adjacent park. The suspect has not been identified due to allegedly being a juvenile, but locals did state that he was an asylum seeker living at the local migrant housing complex near the attack site. -HomeFront- California: The driver of a semi truck who caused a fatal pileup on I-10 yesterday has been arrested. Jashanpreet Singh, an illegal immigrant from India, was arrested on multiple counts after the crash, including DUI. 3x people were killed during the crash, and 4x others wounded. Analyst Comment: Singh was illegally in the United States after walking over the southern border in 2022. After being initially detained, he was released into society by Customs and Border Patrol due to the catch-and-release open-border policy at the time. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: In Ireland, the situation remains as tense as expected. One of the major issues with discerning the truth regarding events on the ground is the now-infamous Online Safety Act, which has been adopted by the European Union as the Digital Services Act (DSA) This is more or less the EU copying Starmer's homework and bringing the Online Safety Act to most of Europe. The DSA and the local regulations put into effect by the Irish government (most notably the chairman of the media commission Jeremy Godfrey) have resulted in a lot of the footage of protest activity being banned from being seen from Irish IP addresses. Users on X for example, have noted that their content is banned from view in Ireland, even content that is benign in nature but related to protest activity. This means that either the Irish government and/or the European Commission itself has ordered X to remove certain content by flagging it as "adult content" and thus subject to the Digital Services Act. In other words, exactly what everyone thought would happen, has happened. And not only happened once, but has been industrialized. Content which makes government agencies look bad, or otherwise highlights the crimes of violent migrants gets flagged as "adult content" and therefore is subject to censorship via the Online Safety Act and requires a photo ID (or a digital ID) to see. Right now, there are probably a lot of people in Ireland that have no understanding of the scale of protests and demonstrations (or even what the issue is all about) due to this censorship. This has been made worse by other larger issues that have actually made it into the mainstream press. Yesterday, the family of Josef Puska was sentenced for their various roles in the murder of Ashling Murphy. These sentences have inflamed tensions once more due to the nature of the crime itself, and the systemic coverup of the incident. While walking on a hiking path back in 2022, Ashling Murphy was brutally abused and murdered by Josef Puska, a member of the Roma community. During the investigation, it became known that his entire family helped him conceal the crime, and court documents reveal they did so due to this cultural tradition (or at least that was the defense offered up in court). The murderer's sisters-in-law helped him by burning his blood-soaked clothing after the murder, and routinely lied to police throughout the investigation. Yesterday, both of these women were sentenced to less than two years in prison, despite being accessory to the brutal murder. Other family members involved in "closing ranks" (as the judge put it) regarding the coverup of this case were similarly sentenced with a slap on the wrist. Once again, considering the crackdown on journalistic reporting concerning migrant crimes, it is crucial to understand that these are the details as they are conveyed by the BBC itself. Whenever the BBC is able to write an article like this, the situation is very serious indeed. Considering this case, and the cultural detail that the Roma community doesn't exactly have a great reputation at large throughout Europe historically, the timing of these judgements is rather poor. This has heaped gasoline on the fire already smoldering in Ireland...so the situation is a bit hot at the moment. This is also most important for understanding the crimes that are still being committed on a gargantuan scale. For instance, in Dublin yesterday...the same day as mass riots due to an immigrant snatching a child off the street....another migrant was caught by local citizens attempting to grab another child in the same exact manner, in the exact same city. In this case, thankfully local Irishmen stepped up and allowed a "situation" to develop that stopped the attack, but this provides some insight as to the scale of migrant crime in Europe...insight which Europeans themselves cannot even see most of the time due to outright government-mandated censorship. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

GhostNotes - S2 Underground GhostNotes - Obsidian Publish

Hello everyone, welcome to GhostNotes, a project to convert a lot of the S2 Underground

//END REPORT//

This week's intel update is out!