Connor Plunkett

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...

“Digging for Gold in Import-Export Data” with Bellingcat's Katherine de Tolly | Podcast Episode on RSS.com In the final Stage Talk of the year, we learnt the mechanics of investigating trade data thanks to this week's guest, Bellingcat research consultant and self-confessed data nerd Katherine de Tolly. Us...

How do investigators turn raw trade data into real stories?
Bellingcat’s Katherine de Tolly uncovers hidden supply chains, red flags in import-export records, and key pitfalls in trade-data investigations.
Search 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat' on podcast platforms: rss.com/podcasts/bel...

Fetisov Journalism Awards Journalism’s richest prize, celebrating world class reporting in a global campaign for public interest news and information

Thrilled that our @bellingcat.com investigation "Unmasking MrDeepFakes" has been shortlisted in the 2025 Fetisov Journalism Awards (Contribution to Civil Rights category). In collaboration with @tjekdet.dk, @politiken.dk & the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
fjawards.com/events/%2Fsh...

Mali Under Siege: Tracking the Fuel Blockade Crippling Bamako - bellingcat Attacks by a jihadist group on fuel convoys bound for Bamako, the capital of Mali, have destroyed more than 130 tankers since September, a Bellingcat investigation has found.  The systematic attacks b...

Life in Bamako, the capital of Mali, has been brought to a standstill after a jihadist organisation launched a series of attacks on inbound fuel convoys. Bellingcat has verified six attacks since September, which together have damaged more than 130 fuel tankers. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

This and Ireland's performance last week, feels like the 90s again 🤩

Ireland winning goal and end of match with Irish commentary

Building on Ruins: The Russification of Mariupol, One Apartment Block at a Time - bellingcat Bellingcat has identified 23 multi-storey housing complexes being built in occupied Mariupol and advertised for sale to Russian citizens.

Streets have been renamed, Ukrainian monuments removed, and murals painted over. Bellingcat investigates how apartment blocks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol have been demolished to make way for a new Russian suburban utopia… www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...

FBI Tries to Unmask Owner of Infamous Archive.is Site The FBI has subpoenaed the domain registrar of archive.today, demanding information about the owner.

The FBI has subpoenaed the domain registrar of archive.today, demanding information about the owner.

www.404media.co/fbi-tries-to...

YouTube video by Bellingcat Mapping Midway Blitz in Illinois

We mapped Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois with @evidentmedia.org.
A federal judge will hold a hearing today (November 5th) on whether a temporary restraining order restricting crowd-control tactics in Illinois should be converted into a preliminary injunction.
youtube.com/shorts/HKXEY...

Tear Gas, Pepper Balls Among Weapons Deployed Against Illinois Protesters A judge recently issued a restraining order on crowd-control tactics by federal agents in the state, including those involved in Operation Midway Blitz.

New from Bellingcat: “‘Pattern of Extreme Brutality’ — Tear gas, pepper balls among weapons used by federal agents at Illinois immigration protests.”
Read the full investigation:
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/10...

The Cocaine Kingpin Living Large in Dubai Daniel Kinahan, an Irish drug dealer, commands a billion-dollar empire from the U.A.E. Why isn’t he in prison?

I wrote about Daniel Kinahan and his family for @newyorker.com. The story features boxers, assassins, Hezbollah, a billion-dollar cocaine empire, the Open University, and a debonair gangster in a prison in Rome who is singing like a canary...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

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...

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...

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

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...

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 🧵

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?...

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

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...

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...

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/...

LLMs vs. Geolocation: GPT-5 performs worse than other AI models - bellingcat Bellingcat challenged the latest models—Grok, GPT and Gemini—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...

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...

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

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

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...

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.

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...

Episode 307: Five Stars (3.7.2025) “Christopher 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-...

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?...