The Memo: 30 Dec 2024—5 Jan 2025

In brief:

• Two officials killed; police neutralise 39 suspects in Zamboanga crackdown.
• IS-inspired truck attack kills 14 in New Orleans.
• Russian teens arrested for terror plot; one linked to neo-Nazi channels.
• China pressures ASEAN to support Myanmar junta's 2025 election plan.
• US sanctions Iran, Russia for alleged 2024 election meddling.
• Chinese hackers breach US Treasury, spurring major cybersecurity incident.

Terrorism and insurgency

1. Philippines

Gunmen killed two local officials in separate attacks in the southern Philippines on 3 January, amid rising violence in the region. In a related development, police have launched a major crackdown on hired killers in Zamboanga City, neutralising 39 suspects in 2024. The operation included 35 arrests and four deaths in confrontations, with authorities resolving most of the city's 88 shooting incidents last year.

2. United States

A lone attacker killed 14 people and injured dozens in New Orleans on New Year's Day when he drove a truck into crowds on Bourbon Street and opened fire at police. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, placed explosive devices in coolers before the attack and declared support for Islamic State (IS) in online videos. Police killed Jabbar in the ensuing gunfight, while investigators found bomb-making materials at his homes in New Orleans and Houston. The FBI confirmed no accomplices were involved in the attack.

In a separate incident hours later, Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret, fatally shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck before it exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Livelsberger left notes describing the explosion as a "wake up call" for America's problems, not a terrorist attack. The blast caused minor injuries to seven people. Investigators established that Livelsberger acted alone and struggled with PTSD from his military service.

3. Russia

The Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested four teenagers in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. The youths, born between 2007 and 2008, allegedly planned to detonate a homemade bomb in a crowded area. Officials seized explosive device components and opened a criminal case. Two suspects were also accused of an arson attack on a police vehicle in December. One suspect reportedly confessed to following neo-Nazi channels on Telegram, which encouraged to commit acts against the police.

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Governance, elections, and influence operations

1. Myanmar

Critics claimed that China is pressuring Southeast Asian nations to support Myanmar's military junta's planned 2025 elections as a solution to the ongoing political crisis. At a recent meeting in Bangkok, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong urged neighbouring countries to back Myanmar's "peace and reconciliation". However, opposition groups, including the National Unity Government, have rejected the junta's election plan. Experts warn that China's growing influence in the region could lead to a superficial peace that ignores long-standing political and ethnic grievances in Myanmar.

1. United States

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia for allegedly interfering in the 2024 US presidential election. The Treasury Department accused a subsidiary of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an organisation affiliated with Russia's military intelligence agency of stoking socio-political tensions and influencing the US electorate through targeted disinformation campaigns. Officials claim the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise used artificial intelligence to create and distribute disinformation across a network of fake news websites, whilst the Iranian entity planned influence operations to incite tensions among voters. Russia has denied the allegations, stating it does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

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Cybersecurity and lawful access

1. United States

In a significant cybersecurity breach, Chinese state-sponsored hackers infiltrated the U.S. Treasury Department's systems, targeting the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Office of the Treasury Secretary. The hackers exploited a vulnerability in BeyondTrust's Remote Support SaaS product, gaining access to unclassified documents and employee workstations. The Treasury Department described this as a "major cybersecurity incident" and has taken the compromised services offline. This breach is part of a series of escalating cyber incidents attributed to China, including the Salt Typhoon operation that compromised U.S. telecommunications networks.

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