Secret 9/11 Files on Saudi Arabia | Next Physical Attack on Energy Infrastructure | “Havana Syndrome” Attacks, and more

A group’s deadliness and wealth go hand-in-hand. “There is a clear connection between the two factors,” Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Amos Gilead, the chairperson of the Institute for Policy and Strategy and former director of the Defense Ministry’s Political-Military Affairs Bureau, said in an interview with Forbes Israel. A list of the richest terrorist groups in the world in 2018 was compiled by the outlet. Find out how these groups actually make money to fund their terrorist attacks.

Pompeo: We Need to Protect the Homeland from Future Terrorist Attacks  (Fox News)
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discusses the Biden administration’s response to Taliban advancement in Afghanistan after U.S. troop withdrawal on ‘The Story.’ MIKE POMPEO: We spent 20 years building up the Afghan forces there, giving them training and weapons, all the skill sets that they need. It’s their time. Everyone knew this day would come. Eventually, Afghan security forces had to stand up to protect their own, their children, their women, their sovereignty, their nation. I hope they’re able to regroup. I hope President Ghani can lead them forward. Our mission was set — we’re a month short of the attacks in New York City. Our mission set was twofold. One was to make sure that we took out Al-Qaida and destroyed it and second to make sure that something like what happened in New York that day could never happen again. We need to be focused on that. We have to be focused on the American interests there. I don’t know what the Biden administration is doing, how they’re handling it. President Trump’s mission to me was to negotiate peace and reconciliation and get our kids back home—That is the right thing to do, and this is now the Afghan fight.

Al Qaeda Re-Appears with Extended Terrorist Plot  (Times of Israel)
With the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan and the country gradually slipping into grips of the Taliban, global terror network Al Qaeda has started increasing its terrorist agendas. According to media reports, in India, security at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) has been beefed up following a bomb blast threat received by Delhi Police. Delhi Police has received threats through e-mail that the terror outfit is plotting an attack on al-Qaeda airport. IGI Airport said in an official statement that additional alerts have been issued after receiving the email and all security measures have been beefed up. On Saturday, the IGI police station informed the Airport Operation Control Centre about an email received by the al-Qaeda chief about the bomb blast threat, the airport said in a statement. “It said Karanbir Suri alias Mohammad Jalal and his wife Shaili Shara alias Hasina are arriving in India from Singapore on Sunday. They are planning to plant bombs at the airport in one to three days”. Meanwhile, according to Long War Journal, Hurras al Din (the “Guardians of Religion” organization, or HaD) has claimed responsibility for a bus explosion in Damascus. In a one-page statement posted on social media, the al Qaeda group says that an improvised explosive device targeted the bus, which was carrying members of the Syrian Republican Guard.

Justice Department Says It Intends to Release Some Secret 9/11 Files on Saudi Arabia.  (New York Times)
Under pressure from the families of people who died in the Sept. 11 attacks, the Biden administration said on Monday that it intended to disclose some long-classified documents that the families think may describe links between Saudi Arabia’s government and the hijackers.
The Justice Department said in a court filing that the F.B.I.“recently” closed a portion of its investigation into the terrorist attacks and was beginning a review of documents that it had previously said must remain secret with an eye toward disclosing more of them.

Top Foreign Affairs Republican Seeks Sanctions over “Havana Syndrome” Attacks  (Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill)
The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is calling on the Biden administration to sanction those responsible for the mysterious “Havana Syndrome” attacks against U.S. officials across the globe.
The suspected attacks, which first occurred in Havana in 2016, have since surfaced in a number of countries, leaving U.S. diplomats and spies with neurological symptoms ranging from vertigo to insomnia to cognitive difficulties.
A government-funded report by the National Academy of Sciences determined they were most likely caused by microwave radiation, though officials have not yet determined who is responsible for the attacks.

Judge Suggests Feds Are Too Lenient Toward Jan. 6 Defendants  (Josh Gerstein, Politico)
The chief judge of the federal court in Washington raised questions about why pleading guilty to a misdemeanor was permitted to resolve certain cases.

House Republicans Demand Answers from DHS on “Appalling” Border Numbers as Crisis Escalates  (Adam Shaw, Fox News)
834 migrant children were encountered in a single day last week

How Terrorists Could Proceed with the Next Physical Attack on Energy Infrastructure  (James Madia, HSToday)