At A Glance | June 27

Service Member Charged With Insider Explosives Attack at U.S. Base in Syria

An unnamed airman is in custody in connection with an attack that occurred last April at a small U.S. military base in Syria and wounded four American service members. Authorities said that the suspected airman used explosives and carried out the attack during the early morning hours of April 7 at the Green Village base, located just east of the Euphrates River. "As part of an ongoing investigation, on June 16, an airman was taken into custody stateside in conjunction with the attack," said Ann Stefanek, a spokesperson for the Air Force. "After reviewing the information in the investigation, the airman's commander made the decision to place him in pretrial confinement." While officials initially suspected indirect fire as a cause of the explosions, investigators later discovered the "deliberate placement of explosive charges" by one or more individuals at an ammunition holding area, along with a shower facility on base. The four U.S. troops suffered "minor" injuries to include "possible traumatic brain injuries," U.S. officials said at the time.

3 Charged in Planning Terror Attack in Denmark

Danish prosecutors have charged two men and a woman with planning acts of terrorism after the suspects reportedly acquired weapons and bomb-making materials to use in an attack. In February 2021, authorities arrested the three unidentified individuals reportedly in their thirties. According to a Denmark broadcast outlet, the men hail from Syria and one is married to the woman who holds both Iraqi and Danish citizenship. In addition to the charges, prosecutors have announced their intentions to strip the female suspect of her Danish citizenship and have her expelled from the country. "It is ... our opinion that the plans (to carry out attacks) failed because (the suspects) were arrested by the police," public prosecutor for Copenhagen, Lise-Lotte Nilas, said in a statement. All three face additional charges of financing terrorist activities by transferring money to a person affiliated with the Islamic State group. The suspects' trial begins Aug. 22 and if convicted, all three face potential life sentences, which amounts to 16 years in Denmark.

California Authorities Arrest 'Sovereign Citizens' With Ammo and Explosive Charges

The San Bernardino County Sherriff's Department arrested three self-described "sovereign citizens" June 18 after a traffic stop led to the discovery of an improvised military-grade explosive device and a cache of weapons. Authorities pulled over David Russell, 50, and Jeffery Russell, 46, near Joshua Tree National Park Saturday due to suspected code violations. After uncovering the weapons and device, law enforcement requested and eventually executed a search warrant for a nearby compound, where both suspects resided. At the compound, authorities located more explosives, weapons and ammunition, as well as Venus Mooney, 54, who authorities also took into custody. The three men, who are currently awaiting trial in Morongo Basin Jail without bail, face charges of an explosive device and possession of a controlled substance while armed.

For more information, please contact NJOHSP's Intelligence Management Bureau at [email protected] or 609-584-4000.