A network of former intelligence operatives has woven itself into the fabric of right-wing alternative media, amplifying anti-Muslim scare narratives that appear aimed at countering a noted decline in conservative support for Israel since October 7, 2023. Central to this effort is Sarah Adams, a figure promoting conspiracies about a supposed Palestinian-linked Al-Qaeda plot against the West.
On December 12, 2024, Adams appeared on the Shawn Ryan Show for a two-hour interview that quickly amassed over 2.5 million views on YouTube. Shorter excerpts have gained further traction across social media platforms.
The central theme of Adams’s podcast appearance is her assertion that Al-Qaeda is planning a series of large-scale attacks on civilian targets in the West, claiming the Hamas-led October 7 attack was “only the beginning.” She elaborates on the alleged threats while positioning herself as a Pentagon critic, accusing the U.S. government of ignoring its own intelligence.
Throughout the interview, Adams frequently references Hamas, often in contexts where the connection seems tenuous, reinforcing the conflation of disparate narratives under a singular alarmist frame. She even attempted to connect Hamas to the 9/11 attacks, hearkening back to the days leading up to the Iraq War, when fantastic claims were made without being challenged and tenuous connections promoted as evidence of the pressing threats against Americans.
Why would they attack us? They hate our freedoms still, don’t they? /s