CENTCOM Forces Capture ISIS Operative in Helicopter Raid

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command forces conducted a helicopter raid in eastern Syria late on the evening of April 8, capturing Hudayfah al Yemeni, an ISIS attack facilitator, and two of his associates. No civilians were killed or injured.

The capture of Hudayfah al Yemeni and his associates will disrupt the organization's ability to plot and carry out operations.

“Operations against ISIS are important for the security and stability of the region,” said Col. Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesperson. “ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond – the group retains the capability to conduct operations in Iraq and Syria with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East, and its vile ideology remains a threat. Operations such as this one reaffirms our commitment to the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

GRU agent and former head Russian cyber-espionage unit known as “Fancy Bear” or “APT28 hacked.

A group of Ukrainian hacktivists claim to have successfully hacked the email of Sergey Alexandrovich Morgachev, a Lieutenant Colonel with Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU, and alleged former head of the infamous Russian cyber-espionage unit known as “Fancy Bear” or “APT28.”

First reported by the open-source intelligence website Info Nampalm, the hack was supposedly carried out by the Ukrainian-based hacktivist group Cyber Resistance sometime in March.

By infiltrating his personal email through undisclosed means, hacktivists say they uncovered a wealth of personal and professional information on Morgachev.

Some items seized included copies of Morgachev’s driver’s license, vehicle registration, residential lease agreements, family photos, and scanned copies of security clearance renewal applications.

Additionally, hacktivists say they accessed the GRU officer’s AliExpress account, where they carried out “a symbolic act of moral humiliation.” by ordering numerous sex toys and gay pride flags in Morgachev’s name.

The Debrief was able to examine some of the documents seized in the email hack but cannot independently confirm their authenticity. However, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the record, an official with the U.S. Department of Justice told The Debrief that some of Morgachev’s personal information disclosed in the emails appeared to be valid.

Morgachev is currently wanted by the FBI following a federal grand jury indictment of him and 11 other Russian intelligence officers for crimes related to their alleged roles in interfering with the 2016 U.S. elections. 

A federal indictment filed by the Department of Justice states that Morgachev and his GRU cohorts “knowingly and intentionally conspired…to gain unauthorized access into the computers of U.S. persons and entities involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.” 

In the recent email hack, hacktivists say they found scans of a recent security clearance renewal application showing Morgachev as the “Deputy Head of Directorate-Head of Department in military unit #26165” from August 2019-August 2022. 

The 2018 indictment by the U.S. Special Counsel and Western intelligence reports have identified GRU Unit 26165 as being Fancy Bear. 

On the clearance application, Morgachev lists his current job role as “Category 1 Programming Engineer” at the Special Technical Center LLC, at 21 Gzhatskaya Street, Apt. 53, in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

According to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine, the Special Technical Center LLC is a defense company that provides equipment to the Russian military. The nonprofit organization which tracks entities providing support to Russia’s war against Ukraine lists the Special Technical Center as being sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, and Ukraine. 

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