The Wire - June 25, 2025

S2 Underground

//The Wire//2300Z June 25, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: NATO SUMMIT CONCLUDES AT THE HAGUE, NOTHING MAJOR OF NOTE. RECENTLY-RELEASED DETAILS OF A MURDER CASE HIGHLIGHT GROWING TERRORISM CONCERNS.//
-----BEGIN TEARLINE-----
-International Events-
Europe: This afternoon the NATO summit concluded largely without incident. This year the focus was largely centered around President Trump's return to the White House, and the subsequent changing of American priorities throughout NATO.
AC: For the most part, nothing surprising was discussed. Commitments to NATO in terms of Article 5, increased defense spending, and general discussion of the war in Ukraine were all points of discussion as usual, but for the most part this was a fairly unassuming summit.
-HomeFront-
Arizona: Yesterday afternoon Adam Sheafe confessed to the murder of Bill Schonemann, a local pastor. Sheafe had previously been arrested for the murder, and conducted the interview from jail.
AC: This murder occurred back in April, however the recent interview given from jail has revealed the exceptionally graphic details of the murder. At the time, the details of this murder were not publicized, nor was Sheafe's plan to murder 13 other religious leaders around the nation. At the time of his arrest, he was in the final stages of planning the murder of two other pastors in the Phoenix area. This was not a random targeting effort; this was a deliberate attempt to target specific religious leaders who may not have known that they were being targeted specifically.
Also of note, the family of Bill Schonemann released a statement yesterday, expressing concern that the killer was able to have unsupervised internet access to conduct an interview while being incarcerated. The family's statement also mentioned that this individual not only is not remorseful, but also very dedicated to continuing the mass murder of Christian clergymen. Considering that media groups have allowed him to spread his ideology, this is an important concern to note as the threat of copycats remains pertinent.
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Analyst Comments: So far, the ceasefire in the Middle East is holding. However, this ceasefire is tenuous at best, as all sides seek to capitalize in the cessation of hostilities to continue machinations. Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh arrived in China this morning, signaling both an attempt to improve relations with China, but possibly also signaling fractures in Iran's relationship with Russia. Throughout Israel, the implementation of the ceasefire has soured relations with the United States somewhat, with many low-mid level officials making statements that they intend to continue targeting Iran's nuclear program.
Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
//END REPORT//