Latest news with #BarakSeener
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Experts pinpoint EXACTLY where Iranian sleeper cell ground zero is... and how much damage they will cause to America
As Iran continues to consider further retaliation against the US after it bombed its nuclear facilities, experts warned enacting sleeper cell agents could be a high possibility, especially on college campuses. With Russia and terrorists group Hezbollah and Hamas unable to help Iran as they have wars of their own to contend with, Iran's ability to hit the US where it hurts has become limited. The country doesn't have missiles that can reach the mainland US, however, it isn't entirely powerless. 'Iran's ability to react militarily is increasingly minimalized. We have to remember that Iran's terrorist proxies have been severely degraded,' Barak Seener, a senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital. 'Iran will be seeking to flex by activating sleeper cells in the US, Britain, Europe or even Asia. [It's] about conducting surveillance and then targeting either community centers or policy officials. 'Iran is not new to this game.' Since the announcement of the US airstrikes in Iran last Saturday, major states, such as California and New York, have been on high alert for threats. Earlier this week, Homeland Security announced it had arrested 11 Iranian nationals who were illegally in the country, including an alleged sniper. The 11 men were arrested across the country, including from California, Colorado, Maryland, New York, and Texas. Seener believes college campuses and anti-Israel protests at schools could be a place where these sleeper agents are. 'Much of the opposition to US foreign policy toward Israel and Gaza has been people that have been coming to the [country] on student visas,' he claimed. 'They're not US nationals. And, yet, they're able to create a disturbance and contribute to an enormous disruption.' President Donald Trump has cracked down on anti-Israel protests on college campuses and began deporting foreign students engaging in it that his administration claimed had links to terrorism through the support of Hamas. The Trump Administration has also demanded foreign students have to keep their social media pages public for government review. Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD executive officer with the Intelligence Operations and Analysis Bureau, told Fox News Digital that Iran could radicalize Americans through social media, like other terrorist groups have done. 'That is a real low-rent, easy-to-run operation,' he told the outlet. In a bulletin, Homeland Security, run by Kristi Noem (left) mentioned the 'likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing' if 'Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland.' 'You get somebody who is leading a slipping down life [who] doesn't have much of an identity, somebody who is looking for a persona, and you give them one. It's subtle, and it's a seduction process. 'You could have the kind of elements that previously, people in remnants of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Syria, Iraq could [be] figuring right now that America is going to be a soft target because you have all this unrest among the progressives.' In a bulletin, Homeland Security mentioned the 'likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing' if 'Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland. Iran has threatened America with sleeper-cell revenge. The Middle Eastern country warned Trump it would unleash sleeper cell terrorists to wreak havoc on US soil if he attacked. Trump received a communiqué from the regime just days before he ordered US military strikes on its nuclear facilities. Iran has already retaliated by launching missiles at a US military base in Qatar.
Fox News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
College campuses could be ground zero for Iranian sleeper cells plotting to harm Americans, experts warn
As the threat of Iranian retaliation looms, the potential for terror proxies to leverage new-age methods remains front of mind for experts pointing to antisemitic campus protests and social media propaganda as possible methods of creating chaos within the United States. After strikes on Iran's key nuclear sites by U.S. forces Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin warning of the heightened risk of domestic terrorism from Iranian-backed or domestic attackers. "The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland," the bulletin says. Sleeper cells are groups planted within a country by a foreign government to live and work among citizens with the ultimate goal of eventually carrying out a terror attack or politically motivated act of violence. Due to depleted funding and resources, terror organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas have been forced to "sit this one out" when it comes to aiding Iran in its attacks, significantly depleting the regime's show of force when looking to retaliate against the U.S. and Israel, according to Barak Seener, a senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. "Iran's ability to react militarily is increasingly minimalized," Seener told Fox News Digital. "We have to remember that Iran's terrorist proxies have been severely degraded." In response to the loss of Iran's usual terrorist proxies, Seener points to the government utilizing sleeper cells to carry out its agenda on the soil of its adversaries. "Iran will be seeking to flex by activating sleeper cells in the U.S., Britain, Europe or even Asia," Seener said. "[It's] about conducting surveillance and then targeting either community centers or policy officials. So, Iran is not new to this game." The threat to Americans' safety has U.S. officials on high alert, and DHS and the FBI are ramping up security measures throughout the country. Since the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites over the weekend, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 11 Iranian nationals in the country illegally, including an alleged sniper in the Iranian army, according to DHS. "It is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence and antisemitic hate crimes." The FBI declined Fox News Digital's request for comment. "A number of Lebanese, Iranian, South American operatives with Iranian connections have come through the borders," Seener said, referencing the Biden administration's previous open border policies. "[There's] just no way of tracking." However, Seener also raised the possibility of Iranian operatives commandeering anti-Israel campus protests throughout the U.S. while using cyber warfare to launch disinformation campaigns on social media. "Much of the opposition to U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and Gaza has been people that have been coming to the [country] on student visas," Seener said. "They're not U.S. nationals. And, yet, they're able to create a disturbance and contribute to an enormous disruption." In response to the ongoing anti-Israel protests on college campuses, President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to revoke hundreds of student visas belonging to known activists. However, the risk of Iranian sleeper cells pales in comparison to the possibility of an individual radicalized by the regime choosing to carry out an attack on U.S. soil, according to Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD executive officer with the Intelligence Operations and Analysis Bureau. "If [Iran] was looking to insert an asset into America, why would you not go through a porous southern border," Mauro told Fox News Digital. "Insert foreign agents here and embed them in these campus protests." The campus protests provide the Iranian government an attractive target to embed with, with the primary goal of creating disruption and dissent on American soil, according to Mauro. "They can be the recipient of funds," Mauro said. "They can contextualize what is going on for you. They can tell you who the big players are, how the disruption could go. And it just saps our blood and treasure here on the home front and creates chaos." Like Seener, Mauro pointed to the possibility of the Iranian regime using social media and online platforms to radicalize Americans in an attempt to build homegrown terrorists from the ground up. "That is a real low-rent, easy-to-run operation," Mauro said. "You get somebody who is leading a slipping down life [who] doesn't have much of an identity, somebody who is looking for a persona, and you give them one. It's subtle, and it's a seduction process." While the use of propaganda and targeted social media is historically aligned with ISIS, Mauro pointed out changing digital times affecting how attacks can be waged. "Traditionally, that's not the Iranian MO," Mauro said. "That's not the Hezbollah MO. But we're in a new world." However, the possibility for terror groups to come together with new strategies to use against a common enemy remains front of mind. "Right now, the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Mauro said. "You could have the kind of elements that previously, people in remnants of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Syria, Iraq could [be] figuring right now that America is going to be a soft target because you have all this unrest among the progressives." While the bulletin released by DHS does not cite any specific threats to the American people, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the country are on high alert as they encourage people to remain vigilant with tensions between the U.S. and Iran continuing to rise. "There are no rules of engagement to a rogue regime like Iran," Seener said. "Everything is fair game. Western democracies don't operate in that manner, and it's alien to us, but that is how Iran operates."
The Sun
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Iran plots to activate terrorist sleeper cell network across West in desperate last act in face of Israeli destruction
A 'VULNERABLE' IRAN may activate a network of sleeper cells across the West in the face of the Israeli bombing campaign, experts have warned. With its military and top Islamist leadership on the ropes, analysts say a weakened Iran could resort to asymmetric terror warfare in a bid to sow chaos against its enemies. 4 4 4 It has now been more than a week since Israel began pounding Iran's nuclear facilities and other military targets. The goal, as the Israelis say, is to thwart the Iranian regime's efforts to produce nuclear weapons - as well as more ballistic missiles, including long-range weapons that can strike targets far beyond Israel. While Iran has been responding by launching frequent salvos of ballistic missiles, its top military command has been decapitated. And Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been forced to live in underground bunkers. Experts now fear that a vicious Iran could awaken its network of sleeper cells to carry out terror plots across the West. Barak Seener, a security and defence expert at Henry Jackson Society and Iran expert, said: "The very fact now that the Iranian regime is volatile, it's targeted, and it's highly vulnerable — that's what actually makes it increasingly dangerous to the West." Iran's murderous Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is thought to run an extensive network of sleeper cells across the world. Mr Seener said that these sleeper cells could be regular people living regular lives. But when given the signal, they could carry out terrorist activities targeting the West. These terror operations could target public infrastructure and even civilians, with no weapons off the table, experts warn. The sleeper cells could even carry out assassination attempts on top leaders that could throw the world into chaos. Last year, an Iranian agent was charged with plotting to kill Donald Trump in an assassination that would have shaken the world. US prosecutors say the rogue state told ex-con Farhad Shakeri — said to be hiding in Tehran — to devise a seven-day plan to spy on and murder him. Prosecutors said an official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard told Shakeri to devise a plan to eliminate the President elect. They claim the planned hit was an attempt to take vengeance for a US drone strike ordered by Trump that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, then said to be the world's No1 terrorist, in 2020. Trump's former security advisor, John Bolton, said the US President is "at the top" of an 'assassination list' from the Middle East nation. Mr Seener said: "They live amongst us in regular communities, have regular jobs, and they just are awaiting being activated to conduct malign activities, whether it be through a telephone text or a beeper, and then they already know what they are going to be doing. "If the regime feels threatened and on the verge of being toppled, then they may say, 'you're going to go down with us,' and at that point they may unleash their sleeper cells." In an op-ed for The Sun, expert Mark Almond wrote: "Iran's Islamic regime is a dangerous, wounded predator. "It cannot defeat Israel, but it could go mad and unleash terrorism, even using chemical weapons, which its industries can make much more easily than nuclear weapons." 4 Mr Seener said the attacks could range from an attack against a synagogue, an embassy, or blowing up a dirty bomb in Central London. Sir Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, warned back in October that Iran could turn on UK targets if it felt Britain was too enthusiastic in its support for Israel. He said the attacks could increase if the Middle East conflict intensifies. In August, Matt Jukes, the head of Counter Terror Policing, warned that Britain is facing an increase in plots by hostile states. He said Iranian dissidents and diaspora communities have been 'clearly at risk of kidnapping or assassination'. "These are people who are doing it daily. And when you are projecting soft power, you're creating the cultural milieu in which terrorism can be conducted much more readily. Counterterror police have investigated 15 of these cases alongside MI5. MI5 has responded to 20 plots backed by Iran since 2022, it was reported. Mr Seener said: "The reason why the Irgc can act with impunity, and why British citizens are at risk, is because of the British Government's unwillingness and failure to designate the Irgc as a terrorist organisation. "It means that they are able to conduct activities and infiltrate mosques, charities, community centres, cultural centres, and many of them, their directorship has been directly appointed by the supreme leader, Khamenei." "British Shias go on pilgrimages to religious sites in Iran and Iraq. They are targeted by the IRGC and recruited, so that when they return to the UK, they can conduct surveillance on potential targets." Iran's terror on UK street By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter Iran-fuelled hit squads on the streets of the UK have been linked to at least 15 threats to kill or kidnap detected by authorities. They are all part of a campaign of intimidation aimed at those who speak out against the hardline regime. The MI5 has accused Tehran of more than a dozen assassination and kidnap plots in Britain against dissidents and media organisations in the past two years. Officials have previously warned that the threat against Iranian critics living in the UK has ramped up drastically after the horror October 7 attacks. And given the hostile situation in the Middle East, Iran could ramp up its secret terror activities in the UK, Europe and the US, experts fear. In 2022, Major Gen Hossein Salami, the Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC warned: "You've tried us before. Watch out because we're coming for you." Last year, Iranian TV journalist Pouria Zeraati was stabbed outside his home in London, sparking an investigation led by counter-terrorism police. The suspects were believed to be proxy agents hired by Tehran. Mr Zeraati works for Iran International, a London-based Persian-speaking channel which has reported on Iran's human rights violations. He said a man approached him and asked for £3 before another man appeared and stabbed him in the leg. The two fled in a car being driven by a third man, leaving Mr Zeraati bleeding in the street. Investigators believed the three culprits were able to flee the country on a flight from Heathrow within hours of the attack. Mr Zeraati, whose organisation has been a vocal critic of Iran, said the attack was a "warning shot" from Tehran. He called on the UK government to declare the IRGC a terrorist group to stop it from spreading its doctrine. He said: "It will also send a clear message to the regime in Iran that enough is enough. "The whole of Western civilisation is in danger because of the threat the IRGC poses." A report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) found almost half of journalists who covered Iran from the UK reported being physically or verbally harassed in the past five years. Individuals have been sent death threats by text and voice notes, with one message noting that the 'water underneath Westminster Bridge was very deep'. One said they were constantly worried about Iran targeting their children, saying: 'I wake up in the middle of the night. I check my son to see if he's there. I won't let him play in the garden on his own. I have to be there. I'm on alert constantly.' Another reporter told the RSF she had a package, which was designed to look like it contained anthrax, hand-delivered to her apartment block. While female TV journalist was approached on a London bus by a man who told her: 'We will kill you. You are a very bad person.' All of them are understood to have voiced their dissent against Tehran. The IRGC is the principal supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are proscribed in the UK. Amid threats of all-out war in the Middle East, officials last year wanted to expedite tightening domestic terror laws to ban IRGC operatives from nurturing Islamist terrorism at home. Current sanctions on Iran do not prevent state-linked organisations spreading jihadi propaganda or carrying out soft-power activities designed to radicalize British citizens. Kasra Aarabi, Director of IRGC Research at United Against Nuclear Iran, said: 'The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is the most antisemitic armed Islamist extremist organisation in the world. 'The government needs to proscribe the IRGC as a matter of urgency. 'The failure to proscribe the IRGC is putting British lives at risk, not least those from the British-Jewish community and British-Iranian diaspora —the two primary targets of IRGC terrorism in the UK.'
