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Connor Plunkett

@conplnk.bsky.social

Investigator @bellingcat.com Signal username: conp.121

309 Followers  |  89 Following  |  7 Posts  |  Joined: 01.03.2024  |  2.3343

Latest posts by conplnk.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Wildfires Ravage One of Africa’s Largest Nature Reserves - bellingcat Satellite analysis of the Etosha wildfires in Namibia has found that more than a third of the nature reserve was burned.

Satellite analysis by Bellingcat found that wildfires destroyed over a third of Namibia’s most visited wildlife reserve last month, impacting crucial grazing lands for endangered species, including black rhinos and elephants. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/10...

07.10.2025 15:50 β€” πŸ‘ 178    πŸ” 87    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 10

We're happy to see that this important project covering the plight of journalists in Gaza has been recognised with an award. You can read Bellingcat's contribution here, which includes explorable 3D models of Jabalia Refugee Camp and Al-Shati Refugee Camp. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03...

30.09.2025 16:09 β€” πŸ‘ 252    πŸ” 103    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2

Our latest on the Kinahan Cartel @conplnk.bsky.social @beaudonelly.bsky.social @johnmooneyirl.bsky.social

27.09.2025 18:18 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Australian Cocaine Pilot Killed in Brazil Plane Crash Linked to Kinahan Drug Cartel - bellingcat An Australian pilot who died when his plane crashed in Brazil during a failed drug run has links to an alleged Kinahan cartel associate who is facing drugs charges in Western Australia.

A small plane crashed in Brazil recently; amongst the wreckage was the body of a former Melbourne stockbroker and 200kg of cocaine. Bellingcat and @thetimes.com reveal how the deceased Australian pilot was linked to an associate of the notorious Kinahan cartel: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...

27.09.2025 16:16 β€” πŸ‘ 310    πŸ” 84    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 6

Israeli forces continue to push into Gaza City, but in recent days important historical and cultural sites have also been further damaged by IDF operations across Gaza. Many of these sites held unexplored archaeological data that could now be lost 🧡

19.09.2025 10:28 β€” πŸ‘ 178    πŸ” 78    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 4
How to BUY Drugs online (fast) | frontal
YouTube video by frontal How to BUY Drugs online (fast) | frontal

Our researcher @conplnk.bsky.social appears in this new Frontal video by German broadcaster ZDF discussing our investigation into the networks advertising powerful synthetic opioids to the general public. youtu.be/F7YFeTLBgN8?...

05.09.2025 13:10 β€” πŸ‘ 67    πŸ” 24    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0
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Bellingcat Council Meeting Transcript Search Find verbatim quotes from council meetings in the UK and Ireland using this free open source research tool by Bellingcat.

Finding key information shared at council meetings takes time and effort. Today, we've launched a tool that allows you to search verbatim quotes from council meetings in the UK and Ireland, without the need to watch long recordings or sift through extensive notes. council-search.bellingcat.com

28.08.2025 16:50 β€” πŸ‘ 268    πŸ” 100    πŸ’¬ 13    πŸ“Œ 22
What is Bellingcat?
YouTube video by Bellingcat What is Bellingcat?

We thought it was time we introduced ourselves...
From a global crisis to an underreported event, we find the facts using publicly available resources. By detailing our methods, we invite you to explore, replicate, and contribute to investigations. Find out more:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyQy...

19.08.2025 09:17 β€” πŸ‘ 299    πŸ” 80    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 3
Dixie Mafia's Texas Millionaire Murders
YouTube video by The Underworld Podcast Dixie Mafia's Texas Millionaire Murders

Our very own @oldpete45.bsky.social appeared on The Underworld Podcast this week discussing his investigation into the cold case murder of a Texas oilman and his circle of gambling, sharpshooting friends. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS3x...

15.08.2025 17:14 β€” πŸ‘ 59    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

In May, we, alongside CBC's Visual Investigation Unit, @tjekdet.dk and @politiken.dk revealed the identity of the key administrator behind one of the largest AI porn sites. Dutch politicians across political parties are now calling for the Canadian to be extradited. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

14.08.2025 09:44 β€” πŸ‘ 177    πŸ” 79    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 3
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LLMs vs. Geolocation: GPT-5 performs worse than other AI models - bellingcat Bellingcat challenged the latest modelsβ€”Grok, GPT and Geminiβ€”on geolocation tasks, revealing GPT-5 as a clear downgrade.

Two months have passed since we last tested AI models against our geolocation skillsets. Within that time more advanced models like GPT-5 and Google AI mode have launched. So @foeke.bsky.social is back again to put the chatbots to work… www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

14.08.2025 11:28 β€” πŸ‘ 141    πŸ” 46    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 2
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What Can Open Sources Reveal About Beijing’s Deadly Floods? - bellingcat After days of torrential rain and more than 40 people confirmed dead, what can open sources tell us about the damage in China's capital?

More than 40 people have been confirmed dead, and 80,000 residents have been evacuated across Beijing due to widespread flooding. Bellingcat used public sources to begin to track the damage. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/08...

08.08.2025 15:17 β€” πŸ‘ 165    πŸ” 58    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 5

Awesome work by @georgekatz.bsky.social and @conplnk.bsky.social on Chinese fentanyl smuggling networks running out of Japan, who use β€œRussian Doll-like setups involving multiple companies sharing the same contact details, salespeople, advertisements and website layouts.”

07.08.2025 18:44 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Pleased to have our latest piece in collaboration with @nikkei.com finally out. Thanks to @beaudonelly.bsky.social @conplnk.bsky.social and @merelzoet.bsky.social

07.08.2025 15:19 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A Chinese Fentanyl Smuggling Network’s Footprints in Japan - bellingcat Bellingcat, in collaboration with the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, uncovered a Chinese fentanyl smuggling network's operations in Japan.

Bellingcat, in collaboration with @nikkei.com, uncovered a Chinese fentanyl smuggling network’s operations in Japan. Read our full investigation here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/08...

07.08.2025 13:54 β€” πŸ‘ 191    πŸ” 79    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 4

Sadly new SkySat imagery from @planet.com shows that even more graves at the Commonwealth Gaza War Cemetery ran by @cwgc.bsky.social have been destroyed by the IDF. Parts of Sections A, B, XXV, XVII, XVIII and XXVI appear to have been completely bulldozed with the creation of dirt berms on July 27.

01.08.2025 20:16 β€” πŸ‘ 69    πŸ” 41    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2
A July 26 SkySat image from Planet Labs showing a large crowd of Palestinians visible around an aid convoy in southern Gaza. There are enough people in the crowd to make it very easily visible in the satellite imagery. There's a large amount of destruction in the area and an IDF outpost is nearby.

A July 26 SkySat image from Planet Labs showing a large crowd of Palestinians visible around an aid convoy in southern Gaza. There are enough people in the crowd to make it very easily visible in the satellite imagery. There's a large amount of destruction in the area and an IDF outpost is nearby.

A massive crowd of Palestinians surrounding aid trucks is visible in July 26 SkySat imagery from @planet.com near the so-called Morag Corridor at 31.3104, 34.2822 in southern Gaza.

July 26 video from Ibrahim Alsallout on Instagram showed the crowd from the ground: www.instagram.com/p/DMkmVvNo6n...

28.07.2025 17:12 β€” πŸ‘ 174    πŸ” 77    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 8
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Episode 307: Five Stars (3.7.2025) β€œChristopher Kinahan is probably the most successful and entrepreneurial criminal that Ireland has ever produced.”

This is probably my favorite coverage of our @conplnk.bsky.social @johnmooneyirl.bsky.social @beaudonelly.bsky.social story about Christopher Kinahan’s online habits so far. Phoebe Judge and co. are some of the best crime podcasters out there week after week: thisiscriminal.com/episode-307-...

25.07.2025 23:44 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Masked, Armed, Forceful: Finding Patterns in California Immigration Raids
YouTube video by Evident Media Masked, Armed, Forceful: Finding Patterns in California Immigration Raids

Together with partners at @bellingcat.com and @calmatters.org we collected videos of over 100 incidents of DHS operations between June 6 and June 30, picking out what appear to be recurring trends and tactics used by officers in and around Los Angeles.
youtu.be/6BuxaVdv7po?...

08.07.2025 20:09 β€” πŸ‘ 58    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2
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Masked, Armed and Forceful: Finding Patterns in Los Angeles Immigration Raids - bellingcat Bellingcat collected videos and images from recent immigration raids in Los Angeles, analysing trends and apparent tactics used by law enforcement.

Armed officers, frequent use of force and people grabbed on the street or at their places of work. Working with @evidentmedia.org and @calmatters.org we have monitored the LA raids, discovering recurring trends and tactics used by officers. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/07...

08.07.2025 19:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1711    πŸ” 945    πŸ’¬ 45    πŸ“Œ 78
Illustration by Ann Kiernan for Bellingcat

Illustration by Ann Kiernan for Bellingcat

We’re back with a new series of open source challenges! Bellingcat researcher @oldpete45.bsky.social created five exercises that allow you to uncover some dark secrets buried in time. Welcome to a world of forgotten files, and (confusing) historic maps! ➑️ challenge.bellingcat.com

07.07.2025 12:56 β€” πŸ‘ 105    πŸ” 34    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2
The dystopian future of sports
YouTube video by Search Party The dystopian future of sports

Johnny Harris & Sam Ellis’ Search Party dives into the murky world of online sports betting with Bellingcat and Josimar; uncovering the bizarre amateur games played around the clock www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4f5...

30.06.2025 12:12 β€” πŸ‘ 158    πŸ” 42    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 17
Post image

We're overjoyed to see our documentary produced in partnership with the @evidentmedia.org team β€œIn Real Life: A Hidden War,” has been nominated for two News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

02.05.2025 11:55 β€” πŸ‘ 161    πŸ” 44    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 3
Reads Bellingcat 2024 Annual Report

Reads Bellingcat 2024 Annual Report

Let’s take a look back at Bellingcat’s 2024. What did we investigate, how did we ensure our work created impact, and what lessons are we taking into the future? Find out in our latest Annual Report: www.bellingcat.com/app/uploads/...

23.06.2025 11:17 β€” πŸ‘ 169    πŸ” 42    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 3
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New Companies Linked to 'Nudify' Apps That Ran Ads on Facebook, Instagram Meta is suing Joy Timeline HK Limited, the entity it says is behind the CrushAI apps. But Bellingcat has linked these apps to two other companies.

On its website Crushmate claimed to specialise in β€œcrafting an AI girl of your dreams”, but on social ads it promoted a tool for making nonconsensual nude images of real women. @koltai.bsky.social & @melzxy.bsky.social pull back the layers of the β€œCrushAI” network. www.bellingcat.com/news/america...

18.06.2025 16:25 β€” πŸ‘ 193    πŸ” 65    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 7

We ran 500 tests and: LLMs are quickly passing the threshold of being the most useful tool out there, if you're looking for the location of a photo from scratch.

06.06.2025 08:53 β€” πŸ‘ 216    πŸ” 60    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 9
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Have LLMs Finally Mastered Geolocation? - bellingcat We tasked LLMs from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Mistral and xAI to geolocate our unpublished holiday snaps. Here's how they did.

We all know AI models can now create realistic images and videos but how do they fare at identifying where a real image was taken? Bellingcat researchers have put Large Language Models to the test: www.bellingcat.com/resources/ho...

06.06.2025 08:09 β€” πŸ‘ 337    πŸ” 99    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 13
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How Ireland became the puppy farm capital of the world Unscrupulous and licensed breeders alike are cashing in on a global demand for designer and pedigree dogs, with pets being shipped as far as Europe and Asia

Just published this investigation. How Ireland became the puppy farm capital of the world #puppy #puppyfarming #animalwelfare

www.thetimes.com/article/10cf...

06.06.2025 22:31 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A letter from Philippe Auclair - josimarfootball.com The reality we at Josimar face is stark. Should we fail to raise € 50k by 1 July, the world's only investigative media dedicated solely to football will cease to exist.

First and foremost: thank you. We've accrued over 450 new subscribers since Monday, and many of you have donated as well. But we're still a long way from our objective, and the clock is ticking. Please help spread the word to save @josimarfootball.bsky.social. πŸ™
josimarfootball.com/2025/06/05/a...

05.06.2025 15:33 β€” πŸ‘ 44    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
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Donate to Dype Skoger AS Help support Dype Skoger AS by donating or sharing with your friends.

Link to updated 'DONATE' page if any of you has experienced problems (in which case, thank you for trying, and apologies!)
www.paypal.com/donate/?host...

03.06.2025 13:13 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@conplnk is following 20 prominent accounts