Oct 22, 2026 · 2h 38m
Secret Service veteran maps the warning signs behind future attacks
Ex-Secret Service Agent Warns the Next 9/11 Won’t Be Planes
The conversation connects personal threat assessment to institutional failures that can leave societies exposed to violence, infiltration, and infrastructure attacks.
- 1Future attacks may target water, food, power grids, cyber systems, and public events rather than repeat 9/11’s method.
- 2Effective threat assessment depends on acting on behavioral warning signs before institutions are forced to respond to violence.
- 3Security screening must verify identity, history, and intent as foreign influence and deepfake applicants complicate hiring.
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Poumpouras argues that the next major attack could target critical infrastructure and public events through cyberattacks, drones, or foreign influence rather than replicate 9/11.
The brief
Former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras explains how presidential protection, interrogations, polygraphs, and recruiting taught her to distinguish ordinary awkwardness from dangerous deception.
Poumpouras argues that discernment requires slowing down: inconsistencies, boundary violations, manipulation, and mission-free ambition can reveal risks before they become organizational crises.
The threat landscape now extends beyond individuals and public figures to drones, deepfake applicants, foreign influence operations, and attacks on water, food, power, and cyber systems.
The episode’s central warning is institutional: colleagues and agencies may notice troubling behavior, but prevention fails when no one reassesses, documents, or acts.
Poumpouras closes by applying behavioral analysis to conflicting public accounts, while returning to the broader lesson of Becoming Bulletproof: resilience begins with reading people clearly.
Books & mentions
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