Very excited to announce that "Moscow's Mercenaries: The Rise and Fall of the Wagner Group," published by @ColumbiaUP and co-authored with @C_Faulkner_UCF & @MoreSecurityInt, is now available for pre-order amazon.com/Moscows-Mercenari…

#UK: Abdullah Yousef, 24, is on trial at #Birmingham Crown Court accused of #ISIS membership, collecting information useful to terrorists, and disseminating terrorist publications. - Prosecutors said he used a Telegram link to pledge allegiance to ISIS and had suicide vest guide on phone. - He entered the UK illegally around age 15, claims to be from #Syria (phone dialect said to suggest #Egypt), and has since been granted indefinite leave to remain. - Yousef allegedly created a Telegram group in May 2024 listed under his name. Prosecutors say more than 7,000 photos, 21,000 videos and 270 links were shared there, including bomb-making footage and ISIS material on knives and vehicle attacks. - A 15-page document in a Telegram folder on his phone described building an explosive vest and using shrapnel (ball bearings or nails). - An explosives expert called it “credible and potentially of use” for an IED. Messages included a link to a video on explosive belts/vests. - Alleged messages: willingness to travel to Africa to join “soldiers of Dawla” in Mozambique; “You know that I support ISIS” and “By the way I am a terrorist” on Facebook; “Both” when asked if he wanted to make explosives or go into battle, “if I can make a good one that would work here.” He is also said to have mentioned electricity studies to help make explosives. - He was arrested on 16 December 2025 and mostly answered “no comment.” birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi…

The NYT confirms Haaretz's report that Benjamin Netanyahu was secretly warned before Oct. 7, 2023 by the Emirati president that Hamas planned a major attack, per 2 sources The warning was not shared with Israeli security chiefs, per 5 ex-officials nytimes.com/2026/09/25/world…

#IntelBrief: With IRGC hardliners emboldened and firmly entrenched in power, it is inevitable that Tehran will seek to rebuild its proxy forces in the region, including Axis members in Lebanon, Gaza, and Iraq Read more 👇 thesoufancenter.org/intelbri…

Islamic State suspects extradited or arrested in Lebanon, Canada, Australia, and the US longwarjournal.org/archives/…

Big, if true...

#IntelBrief: What is the Status of Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’? Read more 👇 thesoufancenter.org/intelbri… 📱Subscribe to our newsletter for daily #IntelBriefs thesoufancenter.us4.list-man…

#IntelBrief: Lebanese Hezbollah, once the crown jewel in the Axis, has been severely degraded by Israeli military operations, although disarming the group will prove to be a Herculean effort that many experts believe is not feasible. Read more 👇 thesoufancenter.org/intelbri…

#IntelBrief: The Houthis remain embroiled in conflict against Saudi Arabia and the government in Aden, even gaining an edge in its consolidation of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which has forced Riyadh to seek military help from its allies. Read more 👇 thesoufancenter.org/intelbri…

35 years ago today…A Tribe Called Quest dropped The Low End Theory….greatest hip hop album of all time!

#IntelBrief: Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ looks quite different, with some proxies reeling as others continue to display robust military capabilities — acting both against Irans regional adversaries and in their own interests. Read more 👇 thesoufancenter.org/intelbri…

An emerging Russia-NVE collaboration: “The research has revealed ‘multiple indicators suggesting possible Russian state-linked support’ for a section of the ‘Com network’ movement...” @lizziedearden inews.co.uk/news/russian-spi…

RCMP charged Quebec ISIS supporter with plotting chemical weapons attack. rcmp.ca/en/news/2026/09/4357…

Man behind al-Qaeda’s media arm al-Sahab: Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Maghribi is considered the second most prominent figure within the organization’s senior leadership and is believed to be living in Iran ara.tv/l3r6y

Frenchwoman who joined Islamic State in Syria faces trial in Paris courthousenews.com/frenchwom…

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

As I explain here, the Trump administration’s decision to designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations is drawing funds and personnel away from actual terrorism cases. The cartels are a threat to the United States, of course, but they need not be reclassified as terrorists to be a priority. Better to beef up the Drug Enforcement Administration’s capabilities than to pull counterterrorism resources away from the actual counterterrorism mission -- washingtoninstitute.org/poli… At Trump’s Request, Nations Are Designating Crime Groups as Terrorists nytimes.com/2026/09/23/world…

#Belgium: A court postpones a hearing on possible early release of Mohamed Bakkali, the “logistician” of the 13 November 2015 #ISIS #Paris attacks, so victims can be heard. - Bakkali, a 39-year-old Belgian-Moroccan, was convicted in #France in 2022 to 30 years in prison (with a 2/3 safety period) for helping organize the attacks that killed 130 people. - French prosecutors called him “superintendent of terror.” - He also received 25 years for aiding the 2015 Thalys train attack. He has been held since late November 2015 and is serving the sentence in Belgium. - Under Belgian law he can already seek parole or electronic monitoring after less than 11 years. - In France he would not have been eligible until 2035. - He has already received prison leaves. The original hearing was set for 29 September 2026. - Victims and French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin have called a possible early release an affront and a betrayal of the French verdict. - I couldn't agree more. leparisien.fr/faits-divers/1… #terrorism

"Foreign Wars, Domestic Repercussions: The Post-October 7 Threat Landscape Facing U.S. Jews" in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.…

Trump wants to preserve relations with Xi, but Iranian customs data show Chinese entities have made thousands of shipments of components used in drones and missiles. wsj.com/politics/china-iran-… via @WSJ