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Alex Murray

@leguape.bsky.social
7.3K followers 1.7K following 457 posts

Equal opportunities verificator of stuff (just don't call it OSINT near me) since 2010. Would rather be riding a bike. Low key Puglian tourism & alcohol free drinks influencer.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Alex Murray
Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
There's a social media scam featuring AI-generated injured soldiers shilling moody goods. Be on the lookout. Great story from Nick Stapleton for BBC Morning Live. AI detection and sense-checking from me and @shayan86.bsky.social
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
No way this could be abused
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
This by @stephenkb.bsky.social covers Q I kept getting in my head: what if local employers are not what you passionately dream of doing. Very loose example: You grow up in Humberside & don't care about wind turbines, fishing or Airfix, but you're obsessed with aircraft engineering.
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Miguel Delaney @migueldelaney.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Yes, Argentina the first ever World Cup finalist to not have a shot in the 90 minutes.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Division has been hitting Russian ships around Crimea with vigour in last few days. Joint BBC Russian & Verify effort to explain what we can see www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Ukraine strikes Russian ships near Crimea, escalating attacks on fuel supplies
The attacks appear to be the latest phase of Ukraine's bid to choke off supplies and routes into and out of occupied Crimea.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
A classic strategy of negotiating.
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Tom Bike @tombike.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
SITREP: US M/Vs ALLIANCE FAIRFAX AND CS ANTHEM COMPLETED OUTBOUND TRANSIT STRAIT OF HORMUZ 04 MAY. PROJECT FREEDOM ASSETS OVERWATCHED. NO KINETIC ENGAGEMENTS REPORTED DURING PASSAGE. CREW SAFE. UNITS CLEAR OF CHOKEPOINT. BT Spotted 50 km E Oman MONDAY 👇by @leguape.bsky.social at 24.6182, 57.1708
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... When a terrible event happens in a remote part of a distant country, here's how Verify - and you - can make certain of the details. Thread...
bbc.co.uk
IS says it was behind Nigeria's Adamawa football pitch attack
Authorities say the militants raided a football pitch where people had been gathering and opened fire at random.
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Toby Nangle @tobyn.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Sorry — 10x, not 20x bsky.app/profile/toby...
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Toby Nangle @tobyn.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
You should check out David Lough's book for more. Think his rate was a large multiple of others. Iirc, he asked his agent to secure some (discounted) column gigs in Canadian papers while travelling and they were like 'wtf? This is like 20x a Mussolini op-ed'.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Now totally obsessed with Churchill's article rate as a journalist. Consider my wig flipped @robinwigglesworth.ft.com Turns out we're all in right job in the wrong era www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIPN...
youtube.com
How Winston Churchill’s frenetic margin trading lost him a fortune | The Story of Money
YouTube video by The Story of Money Podcast | Financial Times
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Does of sanity from @covertshores.bsky.social - I initially got excited too. Consulted experts, got told could be fishing or smuggling. Certainly dramatic, but good example of why important to check context of "exciting" images
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itamilradar @itamilradar.com · 01/04/2026
Less than four years ago, Russian forces in the Mediterranean were capable of troubling NATO and creating multiple challenges for Western navies. Today, by contrast, the Russian presence in the Mediterranean is largely irrelevant, purely symbolic. www.itamilradar.com/2026/04/01/r...
itamilradar.com
Russian Navy Presence in the Mediterranean Drops to Lowest Level Since Ukraine War
The Russian Navy’s footprint in the Mediterranean has sharply declined in recent days, reaching its lowest level since the start of the war in Ukraine. As of today, only the corvette RFS STOIKIY remai...
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
"Oh baby, baby, it's a wild world..."
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Tehran metropolitan area is nearly 16m people, living under "black rain" & smoke from strikes on oil facilities. After 1991 Gulf War, US military was so concerned about effects of oil fires, it health checked service personnel. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Air strikes cause black rain and 'unprecedented' pollution in Tehran, scientists say
Air strikes have damaged at least four oil facilities since US-Israeli attacks on Iran began last month.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Sobering to think that 4 years Ukraine has engaged in full scale war for survival is roughly same amount of time as from Nazi invasion of Poland to start of Allied liberation of Italy.
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
In Scotland, no patches of snow from winter 2024/2025 survived to winter 2025/2026 - This is the fourth year in a row that all snow has completely disappeared I miss snow #climatecrisis HT @carbonbrief.org rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
All patches of snow in Scotland disappear in 2025, for the fourth consecutive year
No patches of snow survived on the hills of Scotland from the winter of 2024/2025 to the winter of 2025/2026.
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
A lot of this might be me, @danict89.bsky.social and @leguape.bsky.social.
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
From the start of the week, Janes military intelligence told BBC Verify the US could be preparing for 'direct action'. Part of ongoing work with @leguape.bsky.social, for the live page: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd...
The current US military build-up in the Middle East “appears to be preparing for direct action” against wide-ranging targets in Iran, analysts from defence intelligence firm Janes have told BBC Verify.

We have been tracking the recent arrival of US aircraft and naval vessels, as reports indicate strikes on Iran are being considered by Washington.

So far today we have reported:

The USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier may be on its way to the Mediterranean Sea
Two US Awacs command and control aircraft, which provide battlefield management, have landed in the UK
Deepankar Patil and S Kannan, from the military intelligence team at Janes, told BBC Verify such preparations indicate the US is preparing for sustained operations as can be seen from the “constant flights of tanker and transport aircraft into the region”.

Such operations also require “the presence of several assets capable of strikes” also being put in place, like the presence of US fighter jets in Jordan and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier being deployed near the Gulf.

We first saw the USS Abraham Lincoln in satellite imagery off the coast of Oman at the weekend.

But Patil and Kannan said the vessel has likely been there for weeks, given they have observed regular reconnaissance sorties by Iranian drones over the nearby Strait of Hormuz.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Hello, sailor! Fairly confident this is USS Gerald R Ford is off coast of Morocco, heading towards Gibraltar Strait at speed. Have called Centcom (spoke to very polite woman), awaiting their reply www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cr...
A screengrab from Marinetraffic shows the path of AIS locations broadcast by the USS Gerlad R Ford aircraft carrier off the coast of Morocco on 18 Feb 2026, with timestamp for 14:08 UTC
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Rodger Sherman @rodger.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Olympics Dog was chasing the motorized camera they have to capture the competitors at the finish line, then decided to chase some competitors instead
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Epic verification skillz in this thread (ht @richib.bsky.social)
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
And our eventual piece, with @leguape.bsky.social providing most of the verification of assets in play, plus the work of @thomascopeland.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
US build-up of warships and fighter jets tracked near Iran
BBC Verify has seen US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln near Iran ahead of talks between the two countries
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Looking at US military ships and planes moving to the Middle East, around Iran. What makes this build up different from Venezuela or Operation Midnight Hammer?
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Reposted by Alex Murray
James Ball @jamesrball.com · 13/02/2026
Significant that the High Court ruling is still, in places, quite damning of Palestine Action. It emphatically rejects that the group is engaged in "civil disobediance", for example. It just finds (compellingly) that proscription was still wrong, despite that.
"Palestine Action’s campaign and pursuit of criminal damage is designed to intimidate the persons and businesses targeted so they end their commercial relationships with Elbit. Palestine Action is not engaged in any exercise of persuasion, or at least not the type of persuasion that is consistent with democratic values and the rule of law."
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Reposted by Alex Murray
The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Wow! Palestine Action win judicial review - Guardian report. This is a *big* legal win. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
UK ban on Palestine Action unlawful, high court judges rule
Protest group’s co-founder wins legal challenge against decision to proscribe it under anti-terrorism laws
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Laura Phillips @lauraphillips.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
bbc.co.uk
BBC Verify: Fact-checking Farage's claim that one million in UK 'don't speak any English’
Latest updates from the BBC's specialists in fact-checking, verifying video and tackling disinformation.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
What can we see from satellite imagery over Iran’s nuclear facilities? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Iran fortifies underground complex near nuclear site, satellite images show
The activity comes at a time of heightened tensions as talks between Iranian and US officials continue over Iran's nuclear programme.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Before everyone gets excited, second Carrier Strike Group that's being deployed will take at least fortnight to reach Gulf, even if it goes today. HW Bush is out on pre-deployment exercise, so can probably stick another week on that for good measure
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Good luck to them. When we tested it last year, it couldn't correctly identify Binley Mega Chippy. It might face same fate as Geofeedia when it turned out cops were using that.
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Reposted by Alex Murray
Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
idk how widely this article has been shared, but it is extremely irresponsible and inaccurate in many different ways. it states as fact and with no reporting that things *are happening now* that *may eventually be possible*. it is shocking that this was published newrepublic.com/article/2059...
newrepublic.com
How TikTok 2.0 Became a Weapon for ICE
In just one week, the company has gone from being Gen Z’s preferred social media platform to a tool for spying on Americans and the suppression of information.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
An incredible, heartbreaking piece of work by BBC Persian Forensics to tell stories of more than 200 of those killed in Iran protests www.bbc.com/persian/reso...
bbc.com
کشته‌شدگان اعتراضات دی ۱۴۰۴ - BBC News فارسی
در این مطلب مشخصات شماری از کشته‌شدگان اعتراضات دی ۱۴۰۴ را که تیم راستی‌آزمایی بی‌بی‌سی فارسی شناسایی کرده است، می‌بینید.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
USAF F-15s in Jordan part of “defensive backstop” in event of Iran retaliatory action (been there since 20 Jan, A10s since last year) www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cl...
bbc.co.uk
Verifying Gaza footage after 20 reported killed in Israeli strikes
Latest updates from the BBC's specialists in fact-checking, verifying video and tackling disinformation.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
For everyone trying to located USS Abraham Lincoln, Bell's own website proves quite useful in narrowing down how far out it could be at furthest... www.bellflight.com/products/bel...
A range map for the V-22 Osprey shows how far it could travel to reach Duqm in Oman from the Arabian Sea. This suggests furthest distance from Oman that USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier could be.
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Reposted by Alex Murray
vjmalletft.bsky.social @vjmalletft.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
'Soon, the French far right will come to power for the first time since the end of the Second World War....' (Philippe Marliere in Literary Review on Far-Right France: Le Pen, Bardella and the Future of Europe) - literaryreview.co.uk/normal-circu...
literaryreview.co.uk
Philippe Marlière - Normal Circumstances?
Philippe Marlière: Normal Circumstances? - Far-Right France: Le Pen, Bardella and the Future of Europe by Victor Mallet
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Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
🚨🚨French diplomats are taking on #MAGA — one meme at a time: #Paris is rolling out a great confrontational online strategy to counter #disinformation from the #US and beyond. 🧵 www.politico.eu/article/fran...
politico.eu
French diplomats are taking on MAGA — one meme at a time
Paris is rolling out a confrontational online strategy to counter disinformation from the United States and beyond.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Some of this work reported here www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... "Using open-source tools, BBC Verify has been able to track some of the recent US deployments to region, satellite images showing at least 15 fighter jets arrived at Jordan's Muwaffaq Air Force Base." (also used elsewhere)
bbc.co.uk
Iran: Trump warns 'time is running out' for nuclear deal as US military builds up in Gulf
Tehran says its armed forces are ready
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Is Trump's "armada" to Iran bigger than Venezuela? Not sure. Last summer looks like two CSGs in Centcom at same time (Vinson & Nimitz), so smaller than what deployed last year? news.usni.org/2025/07/14/c... (love @usni.org for their attention to USN deployments)
news.usni.org
USS Carl Vinson Leaves Middle East, U.S. Reduces Destroyers in the Med - USNI News
This post has been updated to correct the deployment date for USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). After three months in the Middle East, USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is now in the Indian Ocean. The Carl Vinson Carr...
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
How did these US F-15s end up at al Muwaffaq Salti, Jordan (OJMS) on satellite images? Reasonably confident these are one Centcom announced as in theatre on 20/01/26 of 494th Squadron USAF ("Panthers") x.com/CENTCOM/stat... Fighters rarely disclose tracking publicly, here's my workings...
Satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC shows a row of F-15 fighter jets lined up at ground facilities at a Jordanian airbase. Their distinctive shapes can be seen as dark outlines contrasting with the lighter colours of the desert base.
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Sara Wallace Goodman @saragoodman.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Out of the 2159 Jews who lived in my Zayde's village before the war, 20 survived. The Germans, with assistance from Lithuanian police, shot 2000 people in two days. The rest were sent to ghettos, or hid in the forest. My Zayde hid, and I get to be here today. I can't forget, I hope you won't either.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Asked to visually locate USS Abraham Lincoln with satellite imagery, I referred to leading US miltary analyst, Ms Taylor Swift: "I've got a blank space." Sadly did not make edit www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Verify: What tracking data and satellite imagery can tell us about US forces in the Gulf
Latest updates from the BBC's specialists in fact-checking, verifying video and tackling disinformation.
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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
A loooong time ago when we got to speak to the weather bods more frequently, I was v cheeky and asked for a forecast ahead of a Big Trip. Carol provided it. I took a packet of jaffa cakes down to her and the weather bods in thanks - and she made a "we love sam!" weather slate in return for that.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Carol Kirkwood just announced on Breakfast she’s leaving BBC. Proper ravens leaving the tower moment. She is absolutely the loveliest of colleagues, endlessly cheerful and friendly to everyone
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
This is BBC’s documentation of all 456 UK military deaths in Afghanistan www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-1062...
bbc.co.uk
UK military deaths in Afghanistan: Full list
A summary of UK personnel killed in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
In 2011, BBC published this documentation of UK troops killed in Afghanistan. Insulting & false to claim they weren’t frontline of an US-led war news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7616...
news.bbc.co.uk
BBC NEWS | UK | British military fatalities in Afghanistan
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
As I've written before, people don’t trust institutions because institutions aren't doing the job. Democracy rests on three pillars: Verification, Deliberation, Accountability, which can be understood as being substantial, performative, and simulated. demos.co.uk/research/ver...
demos.co.uk
Verification, Deliberation, Accountability: A new framework for tackling epistemic collapse and renewing democracy
Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
🧵 @jburnmurdoch.ft.com is spot on about the conditions in his FT piece. Liberal democracy held it together thanks to growth, good demographics, and the promise of a better future. Those days are gone, and that’s the "why" behind the erosion. However...
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
How long before & how likely UK will try to interdict vessel in very busy shipping lane? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Dozens of sanctioned Russian tankers navigate Channel despite UK vow of 'assertive' action
Some 42 sanctioned tankers has passed through the Channel since 11 January, a BBC Verify analysis finds.
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Reposted by Alex Murray
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 21/01/2026
BREAKING: Immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, a memo obtained by AP says.
bit.ly
Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge's warrant, memo says
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press reveals that the agency allows immigration officers to forcibly enter homes to make arrests without a judicial warrant.
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Alex Murray @leguape.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Scotch Mist? globalenergymonitor.org/projects/glo...
Global Energy monitor's wind power tracker map shows green dots covering much of China, indicating operational wind farms
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