CTG's Threat Intelligence Podcast

America's National Security has played a vital role in many areas like national defense, counterintelligence, foreign affairs, international security, and others. As a result, there have been major and historical consequences worldwide. With how important this topic is becoming, here at the Counterterrorism Group, we decided to present to our audience a Roundtable Discussion on America's National...

In this episode, we will be focusing on narcoterrorism and its consequences and impact in South America. Narcoterrorism has become a topic of high importance today. It had exponents and figures such as "El Chapo Guzman" and "Pablo Escobar" in the past, it has the ability to influence economies and challenge security forces in many countries worldwide. This discussion will focus on its consequences...

In April 2023, Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also known as NATO, while war was present in Europe. The 30-nation alliance invited its 31st member after Turkey-backed Finland's membership. To take a deeper dive, Salomon Montaguth is joined by Gabriel Helupka from the Europe Team from The Counterterrorism Group to discuss the real impact Finland's membership into NATO will ha...

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Invasion led by American forces to topple Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein. President George W. Bush, the then-American president at the time, proclaimed that Saddam Hussein and his government had Weapons of Mass Destruction, WMD. Eventually, there were no WMDs found. After 20 years, the consequences of the invasion are still felt in the Middle East and ha...

Saudi Arabia and Iran resumed diplomatic relations through Chinese mediation and will reopen embassies in each other's countries. Saudi Arabia and Iran reactivated bilateral accords for security cooperation, trade, and economic investment. Iranian-backed militant groups such as the Houthi insurgency in Yemen and Hezbollah operating in Syria have accepted this agreement. To take a deeper dive, Salo...

This year, Latin America, specifically Paraguay, Guatemala, and Argentina, will hold their presidential elections. Latin America has experienced a decrease in faith in democracy, which has been expressed through protests and political turmoil. These election outcomes will impact the region in the mid-2020s and beyond. The elected winners will have much to address like inflation, stability, securit...

Last year, the North American team here at the Counterterrorism Group, published a Flash Alert discussing the possibility of an increased risk of violence targeting minority communities. This Flash Alert, which was used as inspiration for far-right extremists, was based on a publication in Telegram which is a social media platform. The publication was called The Hard Reset: A Terrorgram Publicatio...

On February 24, 2022, Russian ground forces entered and invaded Ukraine, with the intention to "denazify" the invaded nation. Russian President Putin called it a mission to get rid of Nazi influence in the region, while Ukrainian President Zelensky proclaimed that "The Ukrainians will never surrender". The thunderous disturbance of war and its consequences have re-entered Europe, almost in paralle...

On February 6, 2023, Turkey and Syria experienced one of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost and millions of lives have been impacted due to the destruction of their homes and their access to food and water. In this episode, Salomon Montaguth and Jennifer Radlinsky from the Emergency Management, Health, and Hazards team discuss the impact that the...

In this episode, we discuss the impact and consequences of far-right extremism in the U.S. military. To better understand this issue, Salomon Montaguth is joined by Andreea from the Extremism team at The Counterterrorism Group to discuss the real impact of far-right extremism on the U.S. military.

This episode will be our first episode in Spanish , focusing on terrorism and its consequences, as well as its impact in South America. Terrorism has caused destruction in South American nations, impacting millions of lives. With recent developments, we at the Counterterrorism Group feel that our audience would greatly benefit from learning more about the events in this region. In this episode, Sa...

In this roundtable episode, Salomon Montaguth is joined by Amy McGee, Julia Tsarnas, and Mridul Jérémie Mahendroo from The Counterterrorism Group to discuss the impact of two significant events that took place in South America earlier this year. The first event is the impeachment of former Peruvian President Castillo, and its impact on Peru. The second event is the insurrection that occurred in Br...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences, affecting nations across the globe. In this discussion, we will focus specifically on the surge of COVID-19 in China, which is having a particularly significant impact on the elderly population. The government has recently ended mandatory mass testing amidst rising infections. In this episode, Salomon Montaguth and Jennifer Radlinsky from th...

In early December 2022, German law enforcement arrested 25 individuals suspected of plotting to overthrow the German government. Many questions had arisen about motives and possible outcomes. In this episode, Andreea Troneci from the Extremism team and Peter Roberto from the Europe team join Salomon Montaguth to discuss the impact this has on democracy worldwide.

Cryptocurrency has gained the attention of Main Street and Wall Street and everyone in between. It became a trendsetter in recent years by reaching unimaginable heights and gaining large profits for its users. But now, it has raised concerns in Washington DC. Some politicians are demanding regulations, while others see regulations as defeating the purpose of cryptocurrency. With the recent bankrup...

Many alt-right groups and personalities have taken to other social media sites, which promote free speech, and censor-free zones. Salomon Montaguth joined by Brianna Corrie, from the Counter Threat Strategic Communications team to try and better understand the real impacts this transition to niche social media platforms has.

An independent monitoring company, TankerTrackers, identified Young Yong, a Chinese-owned supertanker, as shipping Venezuelan oil in 2021 disguised using false documents as Malaysian crude oil. The Young Yong was sanctioned in November 2022 for shipping oil from Iran, a state also subject to sanctions and known to have used false documents to disguise the origin of its cargo. Iran and Venezuela ar...

School shootings have been a topic that has caught the attention of millions across the US. This has led to discussions about gun accessibility, gun restrictions, and safety concerns. Today, we will refer to the 2021 Oxford High School shooting and to the 2022 Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shooting by former students. Public Service Announcement (PSA), this topic may be triggering...

In early November, President Zelensky from Ukraine warned that any Russian military attacks on infrastructure would potentially leave many without energy. Klitschko advised Kyiv residents to make evacuation plans for attacks destroying the city's infrastructure. Ukrainian officials are urging residents to leave if power is entirely cut-off. In this week's episode, Jennifer Radlinsky from the Emerg...

Hundreds of far-right supporters gathered in Paris in October to condemn the murder of a 12-year-old girl. The suspected killer is an illegal Algerian immigrant, who was previously ordered to leave the country after her residence permit expired,  leading to calls for authorities to enforce immigration laws. Far-right politicians, were present, and the murder has become a politicized subject for ri...

In October, the Philippines and the US held military drills consisting of combat readiness maneuvers, mock amphibious assaults, and developing coastal defense tactics involving more than 2,500 American and Philippine marines. These exercises aimed to improve their defense system and to ensure regional security in the regional era of competition. The drills also improved and importantly, facilitate...

Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is a Pakistan-based branch of the al-Qaeda Central (AQC), an Islamist militant group seeking to prepare Muslims for a holy war, reclaim Muslim territories, and revive the Islamic caliphate. AQC has a strong history in media production and dissemination of propaganda, establishing a media production arm in 2001 called As-Sahab. The Counter Threat Strategic...

The Counterterrorism Group intelligence analysts have been examining countries where Democracy has slowly been eroded by extremism. Democracy seems to be challenged by voices that have become louder and louder throughout the years. People around the world have been demonstrating their desire for change, an aim to diminish the status quo. There seems to be a global, political shift taking place. Th...

Advancements in 3D printing technology have dramatically increased the potential deadliness of homemade firearms. Advances in homemade manufacturing techniques greatly facilitate the probable proliferation of these untraceable, high-powered 3d printed firearms. New 3d printed firearms represent a much more significant threat compared to the previous 3d printed weapons that had a limited effective...

On Sunday, September 11, 2022, Sweden held their general elections. The Sweden Democrats, the far-right Swedish political party, was expected to defeat the current government headed by Prime Minister Eva Andersson. The far-right party has gained more support than in previous years due to ultra-conservative policies, addressing gang-related offenses, inflation, and the energy crisis. Despite rebran...