Beau Donelly

Shipwrecks, Sham Papers and False Flags: Tracking the Company Behind It All - bellingcat A shipwreck in India, an ammunition seizure in Senegal, and a raid on an oil tanker in Malaysia - all involving one recurring figure: Captain Suniel Sharma.

A shipwreck in India, an ammunition seizure in Senegal, and a raid on an oil tanker in Malaysia. These and many more incidents point to ageing vessels that operate with false papers and one recurring figure: Captain Suniel Kumar Sharma. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/02...

Viral Child Soldiers on TikTok: The ‘Disney Stars’ of Sudan’s Civil War - bellingcat To stay up to date on our latest investigations, join Bellingcat’s WhatsApp channel here. Child soldiers linked to Sudan’s warring factions have gained viral fame on TikTok, with their videos attracti...

A Bellingcat investigation reveals child soldiers in Sudan’s civil war have become viral figures on TikTok. Videos attracting millions of views show the children with senior military officials, celebrating battlefield victories and delivering violent threats. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/02...

Huge thanks to Amgad Abdelgadir, Lucy Swinnen, @gycsak.bsky.social, @merelzoet.bsky.social, @beaudonelly.bsky.social, @galen.reich.me.uk and Riccardo Giannardi for all their hard work pulling this together!

‘Don’t look for the money. I’ve taken it all’: Salt Path author Raynor Winn’s ‘confession’ that she stole from her family | The Observer

The latest in the Salt Path scandal. TV doc made by the brilliant team @candourtv will be on Now and Sky tomorrow.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

The real Salt Path: how the couple behind a bestseller le... Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. We can reveal it was far from the truth

I spent months on this investigation and gathered docs from the UK courts, Land Registry and a French local authority, to show that Raynor and Moth Winn's story is not as they claim. @tortoisemedia.bsky.social @observeruk.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

YouTube video by Bellingcat Grok Users Are Attempting To Identify Epstein Victims

Grok users prompted the AI chatbot to identify victims from redacted Epstein Files images. Of 31 requests reviewed, Grok generated images for 27, spanning 18 images and one video. X did not respond to requests for comment on Grok's behaviour by time of publication. www.youtube.com/shorts/dhD8O...

The Australian ‘fraudster’, the drinkable vegan skincare and the former Miss Argentina A couple from the Victorian town of Leongatha have found themselves caught in the middle of an incredible tale of alleged deception – one that involves a global drinkable vegan skincare brand and a su...

The Australian ‘fraudster’, the drinkable vegan skincare and the former Miss Argentina www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

On the Media The Peabody Award-winning On the Media podcast is your guide to examining how the media sausage is made. Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger examine threats to free speech and government transparency, cast a skeptical eye on media coverage of the week’s big stories and unravel hidden political narratives in everything we read, watch and hear.

.@eliothiggins.bsky.social, founder of @bellingcat.com, on how real-time analysis of the videos showing federal officers shooting and killing Alex Pretti were crucial to countering the Trump administration’s lies:
on-the-media.visitlink.me/krPz7l

Can Cell Phones Stop ICE? In the information war, the most powerful weapon is documentation from multiple angles.

I've been thinking a lot about the role of cell phones in a time like this. So I calledup @godin.bsky.social from @bellingcat.com and @juliaangwin.com to talk about it slate.com/podcasts/wha...

Made in the USA: How American-Built Weapons Have Wrought Destruction in Gaza - bellingcat Bellingcat has identified scores of incidents where remnants from munitions made in the US have been found after Israeli strikes in Gaza.

American-made munitions have played a significant role in Israel’s operations in Gaza. Bellingcat has collated scores of incidents where the remnants of US-made munitions have been found in the aftermath of Israeli strikes. Read here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...

My latest covering some of the strikes using US-made munitions used in Gaza.

Bellingcat has further analysed videos of the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents. The footage shows an agent wearing a black beanie step behind Pretti. His right arm then appears to recoil at the same time the first shot is heard.

In Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, Bellingcat supplements local news by “zooming in with a forensic lens” Partnerships with local news outlets help "bring our stories to the audiences who need to see them most."

the work @bellingcat.com is doing in Minneapolis is essential. I spoke with @eoghanmacguire.bsky.social about the site's U.S. strategy

www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/in-m...

Alex Pretti: Analysing Footage of Minneapolis CBP Shooting - bellingcat Bellingcat has analysed video of the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The footage appears to contradict statements made by the Department of Homeland Security.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, on January 24. DHS claims he died after an armed struggle, but videos of the incident appears to contradict that claim. Read our analysis here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...

Annotated satellite imagery to confirm Bellingcat's geolocation of the video

Bellingcat has geolocated the site of a mass killing in north-east Syria. The Ayn Al Arab (Kobani) area is affected by recent fighting between Damascus-aligned forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Alex Pretti: Analysing Footage of Minneapolis CBP Shooting - bellingcat Bellingcat has analysed video of the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The footage appears to contradict statements made by the Department of Homeland Security.

We just published our full analysis of the ICE killing of Alex Pretti on Bellingcat
www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...

We’ve placed the available videos of the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis today into the same synchronised timeline and are continuing to analyse further.

New footage from the ICE agent's phone who shot at Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis has emerged, posted by AlphaNews on X. We've placed that footage in a synced timeline with the other currently available footage.

For those keeping score, Bellingcat, The New York Times Visual Investigation Team, & Washington Post's Visual Forensic team have all published analysis showing the ICE shooter wasn't in the path of Renee Nicole Good’s vehicle when he shot her, contradicting statements by the President & his cronies

We've analysed this video of the shooting of Renee Nicole Good yesterday in Minneapolis frame-by-frame to highlight the positioning of the gun and phone in the ICE agent's hands.
Video: @minnesotareformer.com with annotations by Bellingcat

Using imagery online of the shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, we’ve created an animated sequence which highlights the approximate positioning of officers and vehicles at the scene. The red dot represents the agent who fired the shots. Yellow dots are other agents who arrived at the scene.

One example of how Grok is being used to target women. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch being sexualised, degraded, and humiliated step-by-step by Grok. All the images accurately reflect the prompts provided.

Reads: Journalism that won't be _____ bellingcat.com/donate

Bellingcat’s 2026 won’t be possible without you. Your generous support makes our investigations possible. Here’s what we’ll be focusing on in the year ahead. www.bellingcat.com/donate

With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com and @evidentmedia.org, we investigate the aftermath of June’s US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme, with Frontline reporters on the ground, exclusive interviews and open source analysis. Watch at 10pm EST/9pm CST, on Frontline, PBS.

How Russia’s Invasion is Impacting Ukraine’s Youth - bellingcat Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian educational facilities and spaces used by children have been damaged in air strikes or closed because of them.

War doesn’t just destroy buildings—it erases places where children learn, play, and grow. Bellingcat and journalists from @afp.com bureaus in Paris and Kyiv take a look at the lost spaces of youth in Ukraine. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

Russia’s Smuggled Grain Finds New Market in Saudi Arabia - bellingcat New grain route identified from sanctioned Crimean port that Russia is eyeing in latest peace deal.

An investigation by Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List found that Saudi Arabia joined the countries importing grain directly from a sanctioned port in occupied Crimea. Meanwhile Russia attempts to secure recognition of the Ukrainian territory via a US-led peace plan. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.

Europol are running the #traceanobject campaign, asking for researchers to geolocate objects and scenery taken from larger images from active child abuse cases. Our Discord community, independent of Bellingcat, are investigating one image. Join in with that analysis here: discord.com/channels/709...

Investigating sexual and gender-based crimes online To celebrate the publication of the Open-Source Practitioner’s Guide to the Murad Code, our Faculty Director Alexa Koenig sat down with…

"We have to decide globally if it is acceptable to generate AI SGBV content and share it online," @bellingcat.com's @koltai.bsky.social told HRC's @alexakoenig.bsky.social. "The harm it currently generates will only amplify if we let this go unchecked."
medium.com/@maggie.visu...

Young Girls Were Sexually Abused by a Church Member. They Were Told to Forgive and Forget. In Minnesota, leaders of an Old Apostolic Lutheran Church community enabled a child abuser by telling his victims that once the sins were “washed away in the blood of reconciliation,” they could never...

Reporter Andy Mannix from the @startribune.com and I have been speaking to women all over the country about allegations of child sexual abuse in the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church. This is the story of how one perpetrator in Minnesota escaped consequences for years: www.propublica.org/article/sexu...

Who is this mystery man?