Dilitas Weekly International Security Brief

Dilitas provides the following services:

INVESTIGATIONS

DUE DILIGENCE

SURVEILLANCE

CLOSE PROTECTION

SECURITY CONSULTANCY

The threat to the UK from International Terrorism is SUBSTANTIAL

The threat to Great Britain from Irish Republican Terrorism is SEVERE

Threat levels are designed to give a broad indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack.

LOW means an attack is unlikely

MODERATE means an attack is possible, but not likely

SUBSTANTIAL means an attack is a strong possibility

SEVERE means an attack is highly likely

CRITICAL means an attack is expected imminently

AFRICA

Gunmen have attacked and wounded Uganda's Transport Minister and former army commander, Gen Katumba Wamala, killing his daughter and driver.

A convoy carrying Somalia's former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has come under attack in the capital, Mogadishu.

France is halting joint military operations with Mali over last week's coup in the West African country.

The number of people killed in two attacks in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to at least 50. They are thought to have been carried out by gunmen from the Allied Democratic Forces or ADF.

The president of Angola, Jo?o Louren?o, has sacked the head of his security team, Pedro Sebasti?o. He also sacked defence secretary and the head of military intelligence.

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says rising violence in Nigeria’s north-west Zamfara state is now causing a humanitarian crisis.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the security authorities to hasten efforts to rescue more than 100 children kidnapped from an Islamic school in Niger state.

Police continue their search for dozens of students abducted from an Islamic school.

Senegal’s prison service has seen a shake-up after a serial jailbreaker, known as the “Escape Ace”, broke free again on Saturday [29th May] night.

The Kenyan authorities have arrested a Ghanaian national who is alleged to have fraudulently obtained $83,000 (￡58,490) from a woman in a romance scam.

ASIA

Armed men have killed over 132 people in an attack on a village in northern Burkina Faso

Malaysia says it is to summon China's ambassador after 16 Chinese military aircraft flew over disputed waters off its eastern state of Sarawak.

The rising number of mucormycosis or black fungus cases has alarmed experts in India. This has happened even as the country fight s a deadly wave of the Covid pandemic. Many states have declared the disease an epidemic. They are also reporting a severe shortage of drugs that are used to treat black fungus.

Police in India’s northeastern district of Bokaro, Jharkhand, have arrested seven people who were allegedly trying to sell uranium. The incident is being investigated by counter-terrorism officers, according to local media.

EUROPE

An armed ex-soldier on the run in south-western France has been shot by police after a 24-hour manhunt. The man, named by police as 29-year-old Terry Dupin, had fled to a forest after shooting at officers on Saturday [29th May] sparking a massive search.

Denmark's secret service helped the US spy on European politicians including German Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2012 to 2014, Danish media say.

Nato allies must "stand together against threats from the East" says Boris Johnson to "protect ourselves" against cyber crime and "intimidation".

Thousands of people marched through Budapest to protest against plans to open a Chinese university campus in the Hungarian capital.

Russian tennis player Yana Sizikova has been arrested as part of an investigation into match-fixing at last year's French Open.

An investigation into match-fixing and unlicensed gaming by Sweden's Ministry of Finance has been extended, and will now also consider stronger penalties for violations of the country's Money Laundering Act.

MIDDLE EAST

UK

At least 16 members of the British armed forces have been referred to the country's terrorism prevention program, largely over concerns about far-right activity,

Two serving members of the British Army have been arrested and charged with firearms offences.

Drug dealers were caught with cocaine with a street value of ￡500,000 after undertaking a police patrol car as they sped along a motorway hard shoulder.

A woman has pleaded guilty to money laundering offences worth over ￡5m after being found at Heathrow Airport with suitcases stuffed with cash.

Gardaí (Irish police) have been attacked in Dublin for a second night running while dispersing crowds. Officers cleared crowds from St Stephen's Green, Temple Bar and South William Street.

USA

At least two people have died and more than 20 were wounded in a shooting outside a concert hall in Florida.

Eight Venezuelan soldiers seized by an armed group near the Colombian border have been rescued.

Douglas County officials arrested seven people and recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold and silver in connection with what they said was one of the largest money-laundering schemes in Colorado history — a multimillion-dollar steal-and-resell operation that included thefts from giant retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s.

CYBER/CRYPTO

The Swedish Public Health Agency (Folkh?lsomyndigheten) has shut down SmiNet, the country's infectious diseases database, on Thursday after it was targeted in several hacking attempts.

[USA] Ransomware hack puts sensitive Azusa Police Department documents online

China has labelled the United States the “world’s top hacking empire” after a Danish broadcaster alleged that American intelligence agents used Denmark’s underwater cables to spy on top European officials.

The world's largest meat processing company has been targeted by a sophisticated cyber-attack. Computer networks at JBS were hacked, temporarily shutting down some operations in Australia, Canada and the US, with thousands of workers affected.

A notorious Russia-linked hacking group is behind the cyberattack against JBS SA, according to four people familiar with the assault who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The cyber gang goes by the name REvil or Sodinokibi.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority warned that a “significantly high” number of cryptocurrency firms are failing to meet U.K. money laundering rules.

Hackers with suspected ties to the Chinese government breached systems belonging to New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). According to the New York Times, the attacks took place in April but have only now come to light. The attacks didn't breach any systems to control train cars or breach any employee or passenger data. However, researchers thought the hackers might have implanted a backdoor to allow future access, according to documents the New York Times obtained.

The British Horse Society (BHS) has seen a 250% increase in the number of hacking incidents reported since the launch of its new app in March.

Scammers are continuing to target WhatsApp users and hijack their accounts, by posing as a friend and asking for SMS security codes. The scam has existed for years but has continued to catch people out, with victims sharing their stories on social media.