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8 Mar, 3 tweets, 2 min read
I’ve kept an eye on the @CIA drone base in Dirkou, #Niger, since we previously reported on it two and a half years ago. Last week, I spotted a drone for the first time. 🛰️📷 @planetlabs nytimes.com/2021/03/08/us/…
Another change: a significant expansion of the runway. In this timelapse you can see the changing airstrip from March 2018 to March 2021. Sentinel-2 imagery via @sentinel_hub
Our original story from 2018 can be found here
nytimes.com/2018/09/09/wor…

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More from @ckoettl

Christoph Koettl Profile picture
9 Dec 20
In our latest story, I break down some of the recent construction at the Natanz nuclear facility, #Iran. Using satellite images, we identify likely new tunnel entrances for an apparent new underground facility.
nytimes.com/2020/12/09/wor…
The article is a snapshot of ongoing developments in Natanz. Here are some of the things we can see as of early December. With analysis by @ArmsControlWonk & graphics by @arielle_designs
The ongoing construction is around 1km south of the main Natanz complex and takes shape five months after an explosion destroyed a centrifuge assembly hall in Natanz. Iran defiantly vowed to rebuild it “in the heart of the mountains.” 🛰️📷 @Maxar Image
Read 8 tweets
Christoph Koettl Profile picture
20 Sep 20
The Almeda Drive fire left a path of destruction as it tore through an #Oregon valley. Using satellite images, videos and social media posts, our video reconstructs what happened.
nytimes.com/video/us/10000…
The fire destroyed so many homes because it started in a well populated area, after a period of hot and dry weather. And the direction of the strong winds that day perfectly aligned with the valley, pushing it quickly through several towns.
This is one of the first structures that burned in Ashland that day. Many more followed as the fire spread and grew. Ashland police told me they suspect that the fire was man made and that they’ve launched a criminal investigation. 📷 Joe Salamone
Read 9 tweets
Christoph Koettl Profile picture
7 Aug 20
The cargo ship #Rhosus brought 2,750 bags of ammonium nitrate to the port of #Beirut in 2013. I tracked what happened next. The story ends with a massive explosion — and a hidden ship. 🛰️📷 @maxar
nytimes.com/2020/08/07/wor…
Here's the ship in 2014 at the docks. The captain is in front of ammonium nitrate bags, which match the ones in the warehouse that blew up. Photos from @DimaSadek also show the Georgian company Rustavi Azot, listed as the shipper in documents from 2013
I tracked the ship to two locations in the port. First, at coordinates 33.904934, 35.515357. Earlier image is from September 30, 2014. The second one is from Jan 16, 2015. The open cargo bays and empty hold in the latter indicate that the cargo had been unloaded.
Read 7 tweets
Christoph Koettl Profile picture
25 Jun 20
Our latest Visual Investigation reconstructs how @PhillyPolice violated its own use-of-force guidelines by using tear gas & pepper spray on a nonviolent group of protesters in #Philadelphia, some of whom were trapped on a highway. Watch what happened.
nytimes.com/video/us/10000…
We went to the site, interviewed witnesses and analyzed dozens of videos. Many thanks to the witnesses Drew, Diamonik, Elias & Callan, who talked to us. Special thanks to Sunny Singh @hate5six — who filmed the whole episode — and to @rohinihaar for her analysis.
.@amnesty recently interviewed a former police officer, Graham Dossett, for its new website: teargas.amnesty.org Here’s an excerpt in which he spells out how not to use tear gas. Amnesty categorized the Philly incident as “unlawful police violence”: amnesty.org/en/latest/news…
Read 11 tweets
Christoph Koettl Profile picture
15 Aug 19
This is a first look at the offshore platform in #Russia, which was likely involved in a nuclear explosion last Thursday. The incident is related to a suspected missile test. The platform is about 2.5 miles from the #Nenoksa missile test range. @Maxar
The platform seems mobile & appears to have been moved into place before the explosion —not visible at that location in satellite imagery from July. A nuclear fuel carrier, the Serebryanka, was moved into place around the same time. Image & Data via @MarineTraffic
@MarineTraffic The presence of the Serebryanka is relevant and might offer clues of what happened. This very ship was previously used in recovery effort for a crashed SSC-X-9 — a prototype of a nuclear-propelled cruise missile — according to @ArmsControlWonk
Read 8 tweets
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17 Dec 18
#Nigeria’s military used a speech by Donald Trump to justify shooting at protesters in October. We investigated what happened and uncovered that an elite battalion fired machine guns into a crowd of unarmed marchers. nyti.ms/2GwdKAW
The military @HQNigerianArmy made several questionable claims:

1. The marchers blocked traffic.
2. The marchers attacked a military checkpoint with weapons and rocks.
3. Only 3 people were killed.
We reviewed hundreds of videos and pictures, went to the crime scene in #Abuja, interviewed survivors and talked to the military. Here’s how we did it - and what we found out.
Read 22 tweets

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