Nostr Web Client

//The Wire//2300Z December 18, 2025//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: ANOTHER POTENTIAL TERROR ATTACK THWARTED AT BONDI BEACH AS SEVERAL DIFFERENT COUNTERTERRORISM OPERATIONS ARE CONDUCTED. VENEZUELA BEGINS ESCORTING VESSELS THROUGH AMERICAN BLOCKADE.//

-----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Australia: This morning another potential terror attack at Bondi Beach was halted as a vehicle full of Military-Aged Males (MAMs) was intercepted in Liverpool. 5x men of Middle Eastern/West Asian appearance were detained at the intersection of George St. and Campbell St. in Liverpool, just west of Sydney. The vehicle was allegedly heading toward Bondi Beach, and was intercepted by police ramming their vehicle to force them to stop.

Separately, a different situation was reported at a different location, which also involved police ramming into a vehicle to stop the occupants. No further details have been provided on this second ramming incident, where it took place, or if this incident was linked to the first. However, the video of this second incident clearly shows a different location and a different vehicle being involved.

Analyst Comment: Very few details have been provided on this case. All that the media have been told is that intelligence indicated the occupants of the vehicles were on their way to conduct another terror attack at Bondi Beach. Video footage of the first arrest in Liverpool indicated that 5x men were arrested from that initial vehicle. However, a total of 7x people were arrested during this operation, so the other two probably came from the second vehicle. Either way, nothing more than those basic details have been provided, as operations are ongoing and more arrests are likely over the next few days.

Caribbean: Following the implementation of the blockade, Venezuelan naval vessels have reportedly begun to escort commercial ships in and out of Venezuelan ports. So far, the vessels that are alleged to be under escort by Venezuela are not sanctioned (and thus not subject to the blockade anyway) however this practice began yesterday, so the situation remains fluid at the moment.

Analyst Comment: This blockade is really more of a soft form of embargo at the moment. Doctrinally speaking, blockades are a "you cross this line you get sunk" kind of thing, whereas an embargo is more akin to what's going on in the Caribbean. Not every vessel is being restricted from passing, the blockade only applies to sanctioned or stateless vessels. It's not clear as to what will happen once a sanctioned vessel tries to run the blockade, but considering one vessel has been seized already, more are very likely to be boarded soon. If the Venezuelan navy is now going to be involved, this might get rather interesting rather quickly.

-HomeFront-

Rhode Island: The Brown University shooting investigation continues, and authorities have provided a few updates throughout the day. The second individual that was sought yesterday has been identified and interviewed by police, and is not a suspect but did provide some information on the suspected shooter. A homeless man also reportedly provided a vehicle description and license plate number of the shooting suspects vehicle.

Analyst Comment: This afternoon, local media stated that authorities believe there is a link between the Brown University shooting and the murder of an MIT professor in Boston. Right now the sourcing for this information is not known, however an unknown federal policing operation was observed in Boston this evening, which is alleged to be related to the case. Local media also claim that the shooter has been identified, and an arrest warrant has been issued. Shortly after this information hit local media sources, scanner traffic indicated that the New Hampshire State Police had found the suspect's vehicle in Salem. The vehicle is a grey Nissan Sentra, which matches the reported description of both the Brookline shooting, and the Brown University shooting. Per local reports (which are not confirmed in any way yet), the exact same vehicle is sought in both cases. Right now, this is a highly fluid situation, so more corrections are likely to come about by morning.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: Last night's Presidential Address turned out to largely be an update on the economic situation. The biggest announcement was the distribution of a bonus check "Warrior Dividend" which will be distributed to Active Duty service members in the amount of $1,776 to commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the nation's founding next year.

Everyone was expecting an official war declaration regarding Venezuela (or some sort of announcement of land-based strikes), however this did not happen and most of the speech revolved around economic issues. President Trump also re-announced the TrumpRX plan for prescription drugs. This part of the speech was not new information, and had already garnered a much-hyped media session a few weeks ago. However this was the same day that one of the pharmaceutical executives passed out in the Oval Office (which rained on the parade a bit), so the White House probably wanted a do-over regarding this announcement and included this part in the speech.

However, Venezuela may have been mentioned indirectly in the speech. The $1776 bonus to service members is certainly very much appreciated by those who receive it, and is definitely welcome after the government shutdown which halted paychecks to government workers during the lapse in funding. However, this might also be received with a bit of suspicion. In the military, no good deed goes unpunished and this might be a steak-and-lobster moment....anything good in the military is often followed by rather unfortunate news. Either way, it's probably nothing, but still a theory worth mentioning.

Reply to this note

Discussion