This Week's International Security Brief from Dilitas.

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 MODERATE

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

One of South Africa’s most successful anti-poaching investigators was shot dead on his way to work in what police believe was an organised killing.

South Africans have been told not to hand over money to people who say there are collecting bank notes contaminated by the coronavirus.

The US embassy in Ethiopia has warned that foreigners are being attacked after being accused of being infected with Covid-19.

Somali members of parliament, ministers and other government officials, as well as Somali investors both from Kenya and Somalia have lost some 59 million US dollars in a fraud scheme.

ASIA

North Korea has fired two projectiles into the sea, according to South Korea's military.

Malaysia's army has been drafted in to help police enforce a nationwide lockdown as the country battles south-east Asia's largest outbreak.

Cambodia and China launched the fourth joint drill on counter-terrorism and humanitarian rescue at the Techo Sen Chumkiri live-fire field in Cambodia’s southwestern Kampot province on Sunday [15th March].

AUSTRALIA

Police in Australia have launched raids in connection with an alleged plot by a right-wing extremist, just weeks after the domestic spy chief issued a warning about the rising threat from right-wing groups.

EUROPE

Europol, along with the Spanish and the Romanian national police, has arrested 26 individuals in connection with the theft of over €3.5 million ($3.9 million) by hijacking people's phone numbers via SIM swapping attacks.

Customs officers raided a hotel room in Germany to seize 112 poison dart frogs worth an estimated €25,000 that had been smuggled from Central America.

MIDDLE EAST

At least six policemen open fire on sleeping troops in Zabul province, killing at least 24 soldiers, officials say.

The new leader of Islamic State was officially named last night as a former member of al-Qaeda in Iraq who led the torture and slaughter of thousands of Yazidis. Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli, a former officer in Saddam Hussein’s army, was placed on the official blacklist of terrorists by the US government — with a $5 million reward offered for information leading to his capture.

The Israeli government has approved emergency measures for its security agencies to track the mobile phone data of people with suspected coronavirus.

Nazaha, Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption body, on Sunday [15th March] arrested 298 government employees on charges of bribery, embezzlement and exploiting their positions.

UK

A man has admitted buying explosive equipment and inciting a terror attack in Germany. Fatah Mohammed Abdullah purchased more than 8,000 matches, explosive pre-cursors, fireworks, fuses and a remote control detonator with the intention of assisting Omar Babek and Ahmed Hussein to commit acts of terrorism in Germany, a hearing held over video-link at Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday.

The brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi has been found guilty of murdering 22 people.

The Charity Commission has disqualified three people from holding senior positions in charities after a ￡10m money-laundering scam involving fake erectile dysfunction and slimming pills was linked to eight charities.

Three London men have been jailed after 23 million illegal cigarettes were discovered at four rented industrial units across the south of England. Oleg Bolun, Ion Pantelei and Maxim Glodeanu were responsible for the importation, storage and distribution of illegal cigarettes worth ￡9.5 million in unpaid duty.

Losses from bank transfer fraud soared to ￡456m last year, despite dozens of banks signing up to a code to protect their customers from these type of scams.

Bank fraud warning: banks will be forced to introduce a new security measure by the end of this month. This new name-checking service dubbed "Confirmation of Payee" will ensure that customers are offered more protection when they pay new or existing payees. However, the new measure may already be too little too late.

Fraudsters made at least 1,000 attempts at accessing customers' accounts over the telephone every month last year, HSBC says, with the banking giant keeping a library of scammers' voice prints in case they make multiple fraud attempts.

USA

At least 23 people have died in one of Bogotá's largest jails after what the authorities are calling a mass breakout attempt amid rising tensions over coronavirus.

CYBER/CRYPTO

[USA] A crude effort by hackers to test the defences of computer systems for the Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday evening escalated Monday, with administration officials saying they were investigating a significant increase in activity on the department’s cyberinfrastructure.

[UK] The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is warning that criminals are looking to exploit the spread of coronavirus to conduct cyberattacks and hacking campaigns.

Federal agents have arrested 24 individuals on suspicion of acting as money launderers for an online fraud operation that is said to have made over $30m.

Hackers have been able to break into NutriBullet’s website multiple times during the last few months, new research has found. Known as Magecart Group 8, the group were able to inject malicious credit card-skimming malware on the blender maker's site. The criminals were able to get hold of personal details like card numbers, names, billing addresses, expiry dates and card verification numbers.