The Wire - November 4, 2024

//The Wire//2300Z November 4, 2024//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: FBI ARRESTS POTENTIAL TERRORIST PLOTTING ATTACK ON POWER GRID. MEDIA SPECULATES IRANIAN COUNTERATTACK TO BEGIN TONIGHT. ELECTION FORTIFICATIONS CONTINUE IN USA.//
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-International Events-
Switzerland – Over the weekend additional details have come to light pertaining to the September arrests of the inventor of the Sarco death pods serviced by the assisted-death group Last Resort. The inventor and several others were arrested in September following a malfunction during the first operational use of their death pod. New details indicate that foul play is assessed to be a factor at this time, as a forensic medical examiner noted strangulation marks on the victim’s neck. AC: As this exceptionally morbid and dystopian topic has received much attention over the past few years, the situation has not been made much better following the first victim of one of the death pods being found strangled to death. Initial information is sketchy at best, but most theories pertain to the idea that the death pod probably didn’t actually kill the person inside it, and the developers probably had to murder their first customer instead.
Middle East: Many mainstream media sources throughout the region are theorizing that an Iranian counterattack on Israel may take place tonight or tomorrow, so as to take advantage of the timing of the American Presidential election. AC: As always, nothing is confirmable via open sources. However, even though all mainstream media sources are largely propaganda outlets, it’s possible that mainstream media groups run/influenced by intelligence agencies could indeed have inside information pertaining to Iranian attack plans.
-HomeFront-
United States: Election day fortifications and anti-personnel obstacles continue to be emplaced throughout most major US cities by government agencies and private businesses alike. Plywood barricades have been emplaced by most businesses and storefronts around the National Mall as has become standard during times of heightened potential for civil unrest.
Tennessee: This afternoon a man was arrested for allegedly planning to conduct an attack on a power station near Nashville. The FBI identified the assailant as Skyler Philippi, who was arrested after attempting to use an explosive-laden drone to attack a power station.
Gulf Coast: Tropical Depression 18L continues to develop strength, as most forecast models predict the storm strengthening into a Tropical Storm this evening. Initial forecast modeling indicates a general track toward Louisiana.
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Analyst Comments: Not much is known regarding the incident in Nashville, however a cursory search of the alleged assailant’s name returns substantial open-source investigation reports conducted by far-left groups hunting down alleged White Supremacist groups and/or people. This individual left a paper trail so far and wide as to be exceptionally suspicious, and probably attracted the attention of every federal agency that exists by his rather active online presence. In a continuation of previous DoJ takedowns of potential terrorists, the details surrounding this case raise questions as to how long the FBI was going to wait before stopping this assailant. Per the FBI’s own press release, the individual had confessed to planning a mass shooting at a YMCA facility in June of this year. He had also scouted out the electrical facility multiple times, and openly conveyed all of his attack plans to undercover FBI agents in excruciating detail. Additionally, the assailant purchased C4 plastic explosives from an undercover agent, and later purchased black power to be used in the manufacture of IEDs as well. As if this was not enough to arrest the individual, he was able to assemble the explosive devices, attach at least one to a drone, travel to the facility, arm the explosives and prepare the drone for flight…only then being arrested by the FBI.
As such, the details of this case as presented to the public raise many eyebrows in nearly the same fashion as the FBI’s previous big-bust…the arrest of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi in Oklahoma last month. Echoing that case, the details of this incident give cause for concern in much the same ways…questionable details and waiting until questionable times to make the arrest. Why was Phillipi not arrested when he successfully purchased C4 (and other unidentified explosives) from an undercover informant? Was that not enough to secure a conviction and stop the threat? Why was he allowed to go on to purchase even more explosives, again from an undercover agent? Why was he then allowed to assemble explosive devices and be merely a few seconds from conducting the attack before he was finally stopped? These are questions and observations that the Department of Justice is unlikely to answer while they are patting themselves on the back for stopping a terror attack that would not have happened if they themselves had not provided the explosives for the attack.
However, the overall perspective must be considered. The Department of Justice will probably attempt to sell this arrest as a grand take-down of a sophisticated terror network, whereas the truth is probably more akin to the FBI finally rolling up a wanna-be terrorist who couldn’t actually do anything for years but make threats online (until he was assisted in his plans by the DoJ themselves). On the eve of an election, and as the federal rhetoric targeting average Americans intensifies, it would be wise to consider the overall situation…and any threats that various agencies might be missing while they are hyper-focused on retaining relevancy (and funding) by hyping-up a low-hanging-fruit arrest. The FBI flipping through their Rolodex of people under surveillance to roll up a random idiot they’ve been watching for years, before finally trying to do something nefarious, is unlikely to make Americans feel any better as far more substantial (and sometimes foreign) malign actors remain uninvestigated. Considering Nashville’s own history with questionable events involving terrorists with explosives, one might think that surely there must be a terror threat somewhere in the United States that the Department of Justice can prevent, that doesn’t involve the FBI helping the terrorists with 90% of their plan before it’s taken down.
Analyst: S2A1
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