(TLP:CLEAR) CTC Sentinel – May 2026: Hybrid Terrorist Threats and Terrorists Use of Artificial Intelligence

Summary: The Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point published its “Sentinel” magazine for May 2026. This latest issue features an interview with a former FBI Agent that discusses hybrid terrorist threats and other relevant security issues. Another article explores how terrorist could leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their tactical capabilities.

Analyst Note: The issue’s interview is with Robert Kissane, former Special Agent in Charge of the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI’s New York Field Office. Among other topics, the 23-year FBI veteran explains why one of his greatest concerns “is the convergence of the nation-state threat with traditional terrorism actors.” Some analysts have termed this convergence a hybrid terrorist threat. The former FBI officials states further that it’s “the idea that a hostile nation-state such as Iran, Russia, maybe China could co-opt or influence—wittingly or unwittingly—an individual, whether that individual is part of a traditional international terrorist group, a domestic terrorist group, or the more recent emergent nihilist violent extremists that want to conduct violence.”

The article on AI examines whether generative artificial intelligence will genuinely transform terrorist capability or if the risks are being overstated. The article employs James J. Gibson’s theory of affordance and recognizes that Gen AI tools “can improve the efficiency, accessibility, and scale of certain terrorist activities.” Still, the article argues there is “limited evidence that they fundamentally alter the nature of terrorism or significantly enhance operational capability.”

Lastly, an additional article offers an in-depth profile of alleged Kata’ib Hezbollah senior operative Mohammad Baqer al-Saadi who was extradited to the U.S. in May and has been indicted for terrorism-related offenses, including attacks conducted in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI). “Drawing on U.S. Department of Justice filings, open-source intelligence, archived Arabic-language social media content, and interviews with Iraqi sources,” the authors outline “al-Saadi’s unusually trusted position within Iran-backed militant structures,” including his connection to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

Original Source: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/may-2026/

Additional Reading:

• Beyond Misuse: Artificial Intelligence, Grievance, and the Future Landscape of Political Violence
• Deniable, Disposable, Disruptive: Iran’s Hybrid Warfare in Europe Demands a Proactive Response

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 1, 2, & 4