Travis Hawley Profile picture
Mar 22 17 tweets 5 min read Read on X
I uncovered a coordinated foreign Information Operation here on X. This is a 16 page thread that gets juicier the further you read. 🧵 Buckle up as we learn how Iran, Russia, China and Turkey are subverting the West on social media. CC: @nikitabier THREAD 🧵Image
Red flags:
Location: “West Asia”
Date Joined: Sep25, very recent
Username Changes: 2 already
CC: @nikitabier Image
This “West Asia” account only follows one account, the official China MFA... CC: @nikitabier Image
“Global Insight Journal” shares content from Russia’s RT, Iran’s PressTV and Turkish media dozens of times each day. CC: @nikitabier Image
But who was the first account to post this intentionally misquoted video? Meltem TV, located in Turkey. But only 12k views... so it needed amplification. CC: @nikitabier Image
Luckily not only did “Global Insight Journal” amplify it to 3.3 milion views but Alexander Dugin, yeah that guy, amplified it to another 1.2 million views. CC: @nikitabier Image
Alexander Dugin is a Russian propagandist known as “Putin’s Brain”. CC: @nikitabier Image
Funnily while Dugin participates in Russian-Turkish-Chinese-Iranian disinformation ops, he explicity says that those countries are not enemies of the US. You cannot make this up. CC: @nikitabier Image
Dugin cannot stop talking about Sunni muslims the past 3 weeks...Hm... CC: @nikitabier Image
Ahhhh there it is. Calling for an Islamic Caliphate in the Middle East and aligning with Islam against the West and “Zionism”. Right. On. Cue. CC: @nikitabier Image
And now “Putin’s Brain” is celebrating Iran’s long range missile attacks against the US-UK and suggests maybe Russia will join the war... CC: @nikitabier Image
Global Insight Journal: Analysis
Sep25 - Account Created
Oct25 - Username Changed
Feb26 - Account Verified
CC: @nikitabier Image
Global Insight Journal: Analysis
Feb28 - Iran war begins
Mar3-5 - Operations plummet
Mar7-14 - Operations recover
CC: @nikitabier Image
Why would InfoOps plummet on March 2? Well... The Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) [state propaganda HQ] was destroyed that night.
And that’s our smoking gun. CC: @nikitabier Image
During that low of operations on Mar6, Global Insight Journal posted two times within 9 minutes of each other reporting that both Russia and China are aiding Iran in the war. CC: @nikitabier Image
Phase 1: Turkish Seeding
Phase 2: Iran Boosting
Phase 3: Russian Boosting
CC: @nikitabier Image
I am a former intelligence and media analyst at the NSA, in the US Air Force, at US CENTCOM and I teach open source intelligence to DHS. My work focuses on macro intelligence (narratives, disinformation campaigns, trends, public sentiment, networks etc.) as well as micro intelligence (persons of interest, deanonymizing & identifying users, digital footprint exposure etc.). If you'd like to contact me please reach out here: travis@travhawley.comImage

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More from @talk2trav

Mar 16
The narrative that Israeli PM Netanyahu is dead is not organic, it is a coordinated information operation largely coming from India and Pakistan based bot and sock puppet enterprises. I will prove it in this thread. 🧵 CC: @nikitabier Image
Something we quickly notice about many of these accounts is that they were opened this month when the war against Iran started and that dozens are located in South Asia, India, Pakistan. Irrespective of exact origin, they are coordinated foreign information operations that @nikitabier and X should address. I am happy to help.Image
In many instances these account have changed their username as many as 14 times in just two weeks. @nikitabier this is a very easy to fix countermeasure against foreign influence operations. Image
Read 11 tweets
Mar 15
A massive foreign influence operation using coordinated disinformation from at least South Asia based accounts is spreading a false narrative that Israeli PM Netanyahu is dead. I will expose this infoOp in this thread. 🧵 Image
Dozens of accounts including @RussianSnappy @ChhinaArmy @MrkhameneiSpoof and @IranMediaNow are pushing this information operation and achieving 8.2, 5.7 and 6.3 million views respectively. These accounts are coordinating messaging, imagery and timing to a degree. They are all based outside of the US, possibly in South Asia.Image
Of course a VPN could be used but maybe X's Head Of Product @nikitabier can look into it deeper. India, Pakistan and Indonesia are well known for their bot networks and sock puppet account enterprises so those countries are top suspects. Image
Read 16 tweets
Mar 13
Let’s dig into the digital footprint and background of the alleged synagogue shooter in Michigan, Ayman Ali Al-Ghazali. Thread 🧵 Image
His Facebook says that he lived in Warren Michigan, not far from Dearborn and West Bloomfield. His friends list has what appears to be entirely Arab and Muslim persons, many in military uniforms. Image
An Ayman Ali Alghazali in the same county has been charged with child sexually abusive activity, using a computer or internet to commit a crime involving a minor, and accosting children for immoral purposes, according to Wayne County court records. Court Docket Number 25-2188-FY. Image
Read 17 tweets
Dec 7, 2025
Thread 🧵 Shalom, Alfredo Ghoolian! Using Open Source Intelligence #OSINT through Publicly Available Information #PAI I have identified this Nazi wannabe from Burbank CA first outed by @Betar_USA. Image
Credit to @Betar_USA for this video where Alfredo says to someone that is not even Jewish "I am a Nazi! Heil Hitler! Sieg Heil! You piece of shit Jew! You Jews are destroying this country. You guys are the parasite of the United States! Fuckin Jew piece of shit!" and more...
According to your LinkedIn, you are the President and owner of f1 Auto Leasing and Sales Inc. and Papaya Pastry Inc. Image
Read 19 tweets
Dec 4, 2025
The FBI has arrested Brian Cole Jr. of Woodbridge, VA for the pipe bomb incident that took place the eve of January 6th 2021. Let's do Open Source Intelligence #OSINT using Publicly Available Information #PAI to uncover the digital breadcrumbs of this suspect, who is innocent until proven guilt in a court of law. Thread 🧵Image
From left to right: Brandon (brother), Aunt, Brian Cole Jr. Post is from 2017 but the comments are from 2019. Image
I have identified at least two email address that appear to be that of the suspect: bjcole****@gmail.com & colebrian****@gmail.com (redacted). Both of these emails have historic accounts that show the same birthdate as reported of 07-12-1995. Image
Read 24 tweets
Jun 3, 2025
Yallah, let's dig into Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45 from Egypt, using open-source intelligence #OSINT. Buckle up for a journey through the digital bread crumbs of a Muslim Brotherhood terrorist. Thread 🧵 Image
His Facebook profile offers early insight into his worldview:
📍 Religious, ideological, and pro-Islamist messaging
📍 Claimed to be an accountant in Egypt
📍 311 friends

His Facebook header image shows a Qur’an surrounded by divine light, with bold Arabic text that reads:
"افتح قلبك للقرآن تنعم بالدنيا والآخرة"
📖 "Open your heart to the Qur’an and you will be blessed in this life and the next."
His profile photo adds another message:
"اللهم وحد صفوف المسلمين"
🕌 “O Allah, unite the ranks of the Muslims.”

Source: facebook.com/mohamad.s.soli…Image
Soliman’s Facebook friends and followed pages number in the hundreds—but they’re not random.

His feed is saturated with Islamist preachers, Muslim Brotherhood content, anti-secular conspiracy pages, and martyr-glorifying slogans. A few examples:

🟢 "I love the (Muslim) Brotherhood" "أنا بحب الإخوان"
🟢 "رابعة الصمود" – glorifying those killed during the 2013 Rabaa sit-in
🟢 "محاكمة السيسي الخائن" – "Try the traitor Sisi"
🟥 He also followed:
-- Hazem Salah Abu Ismail supporters
-- Pro-Morsi propaganda pages
-- Egypt should be Islamic without democracy or parties - “مصرُ إسلاميه بلا ديمقراطية أو حزبيه”Image
Read 17 tweets

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