At A Glance | June 6

Oklahoma City Man Arrested for Planned Capitol Attack

Law enforcement recently arrested an Oklahoma City man for what authorities say was a planned violent attack in Washington, D.C. Brittan Kirk, 36, allegedly had parts to an AR-15 rifle, bullets and a book on bomb-making when police took him into custody at a psychiatric facility. Kirk also bought several guns and ammunition at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds using a credit card he had stolen from his mother. At that time, he attempted to purchase some parts to an AR-15 but was unsuccessful because he couldn't pass the criminal background check, according to police. Kirk, a licensed pilot, reportedly planned to steal a plane to travel to the Capitol and carry out a shooting rampage against lawmakers. While Kirk is currently out on bail, his attorney released a statement on May 28 noting that the suspect is a "fully disabled young man, who has successfully battled mental health issues for years" and that he was "unarmed, has no access to firearms or other weapons or destructive materials of any kind."

ISIS Member Received Death Sentence for Role in 2021 Baghdad Market Bombing

Iraq's Supreme Judicial Court sentenced an ISIS member to death May 30, calling the man a "primary perpetrator" in a 2021 bomb attack that claimed the lives of 32 people in a crowded Baghdad market. The court found the unnamed man guilty of planning the January 2021 twin suicide bombing of a Baghdad al-Tayaran Square market, which also wounded 110 people. The man admitted to belonging to ISIS since 2012 and to equipping the two suicide attackers, according to media reports. At that time, the suicide bombing marked the city's first in three years, ending a period of calm after Iraq declared the defeat of the extremist group in late 2017. In the attack, one man lured in a crowd by faking an illness before detonating his device. The second bomber set off his explosive as more people began to arrive at the scene to assist victims. Iraq, named by an Amnesty International report as a country with one of the highest rates of death penalty sentencing in 2021, routinely hands down executions to individuals found guilty of terrorism or murder.

FBI Foils an Iranian-Sponsored Cyber Attack Against Boston Children's Hospital

Acting on a tip from another intelligence agency, the FBI thwarted a planned cyber attack by Iranian government-sponsored hackers against the Boston Children's Hospital, FBI Director Christopher Wray reported. The FBI visited the hospital Aug. 3 to warn administrators of the threat and provided previously declassified information to assist them in preparing for the attack. The FBI reportedly met with hospital representatives seven times over the next 10 days to address any concerns and devise a mitigation strategy. As a result, hackers were unsuccessful in their attempts to disrupt the hospital's operation. "Our folks got the hospital's team the information they needed to stop the danger right away," Wray said. "And we were able to help them ID and then mitigate the threat. And quick actions by everyone involved, especially at the hospital, protected both the network and the sick kids who depended on it." While Wray did not note a particular motive for the foiled incident, he did say that Iran and other countries have been hiring cyber mercenaries to conduct attacks on their behalf. Hackers have targeted the hospital in the past, once in 2014 and again in 2019.

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