//The Wire//2300Z January 2, 2025//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: QUESTIONABLE DETAILS REMAIN FOLLOWING YESTERDAY’S TERROR ATTACKS.//

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-International Events-                                                       

Europe: Russia’s GAZPROM has halted the flow of natural gas to Europe following the cessation of the long-standing trade deal involving the transportation of LNG through Ukraine to European customers. This development has been expected since at least 2014, when Europe was extremely reliant on Russian gas, yet in the predicament of the war developing in Crimea at the time. Since that time, most European customers of Russian LNG have either attempted to reduce or shift their demand for natural gas, or have shifted to other providers. AC: At the moment, this development doesn’t appear to really change much with regards to Europe’s energy crisis; this is more of the end of an era that has been a long time coming.

-HomeFront-

Louisiana: Many details abound surrounding the New Year’s attack on Bourbon Street. Most pressingly, the FBI has taken the position that the attacker, Shamsud-din Jabbar, acted alone. Despite initial reports suggesting three men and one woman were observed planting explosives throughout the area, the FBI has corrected these reports and suggested that the persons observed were not involved with the placement of IEDs. AC: The knee-jerk reaction by the FBI to lie has reduced the trust and confidence the average citizen has in this assessment. For instance, during the FBI’s press conference yesterday (in which a spokesperson stated that the event wasn’t terrorism), the FBI had already recovered an ISIS flag at the scene. At the time of the press conference, the FBI knew this detail, confirming that the details conveyed to the American people at that moment were a lie. Trust is a concept that is easily lost, and very hard to regain. As such, if additional threats emerge following the now multiple terror attacks that have already occurred around the nation, it’s unlikely that anyone will trust what the FBI has to say for some time.

Nevada: Overnight, investigators have stated that the incident at Trump Tower in Las Vegas was a deliberate act of terrorism. The suspect, who authorities claim has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, allegedly constructed a Vehicle-Borne IED, detonating the device at the hotel for (as of now) unknown reasons.

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Analyst Comments: The details that have come to light regarding the Vegas bomber have largely been host to much suspicion. Allegedly, Livelsberger was killed in the attack. However, considering that Livelsberger was a Special Forces soldier, and an expert in sUAS systems and remotely-operated electronics, skepticism abounds as to whether or not the body recovered from the vehicle was actually him. DNA testing will be required to fully verify the driver’s remains. Initially, authorities appear to have relied on tattoos and documents found in the vehicle to identify the driver of the Cybertruck. However, it’s not clear as to how the driver’s remains can be burned beyond recognition, yet his identity documents (to include his passport) survived the fire. It’s also not clear as to why the driver would have sustained a gunshot wound to the head (as was stated by the Las Vegas Sheriff this afternoon), if the intent was for him to detonate a VBIED. This latter detail is completely at odds with the characteristics of most terror attacks; it is virtually unheard of for an attacker to take his own life before ensuring that their explosives are functional and/or the attack is complete. An attacker choosing to take their own life rather than carry out the attack is somewhat common, however the details of this case cause much doubt as to wh