From Benghazi Lessons to Everyday Readiness: Sarah Adams’ Alarms and What You Can Do Today

Augason Farms
Support the podcast. Click on my affiliate link and use coupon code PODCASTPREP for 10% discount!

 https://augasonfarms.com?sca_ref=9315862.VpHzogdDNu 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. 

Alarms are sounding from someone who’s been in the room where it happens. We take a hard, clear look at former CIA targeting officer Sarah Adams’ recent warnings—from the so‑called “invisible bomb” designed to slip past today’s screening to legal immigration pathways that sophisticated networks may exploit—and translate them into practical steps for everyday listeners who want to be ready without living scared.

We start by setting the stakes: Adams’ track record spans Al‑Qaeda targeting, on‑the‑ground experience during Benghazi, and later advisory roles that honed her eye for systemic gaps. From there, we unpack the core risks she’s raising now: potential threats to aviation and crowded public venues, vetting and information‑sharing failures, and the uncomfortable reality that bureaucracy moves slower than adversaries. Rather than catastrophize, we use these insights to build a calm, capable posture: situational awareness grounded in the OODA loop, small but reliable go‑bags and get‑home bags, and an information diet that favors verified alerts over viral fear.

You’ll hear how to pressure‑test your routine in airports, malls, concerts, and stadiums; what to include in a minimalist kit that serves for terror threats and natural disasters alike; and why local alert systems, police feeds, and primary sources can out‑perform national noise when minutes matter. We also make the case for community readiness—Stop the Bleed training, first aid basics, neighbor networks—and for respectful civic pressure to improve visa screening, detection technology, and intel‑sharing between federal and local agencies. The throughline is simple: vigilance is not paranoia, and preparedness is a form of care for the people you love.

If this deep dive helps you think clearer and act smarter, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find it. Then pick one step—pack a bag, map your exits, or book a class—and tell us what you chose.

Augason Farms
Support the podcast. Click on my affiliate link and use coupon code PODCASTPREP for 10% discount!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening & Episode Pivot
• 0:50 Who Is Sarah Adams?
• 2:36 Benghazi: Experience and Lessons
• 3:24 Book, Platforms, and Credentials
• 4:40 The “Invisible Bomb” Warning
• 6:16 Immigration & Vetting Vulnerabilities
• 7:35 Action Urgency and Agency Frustrations
• 8:31 From Warnings to Personal Preparedness
• 9:30 Situational Awareness & OODA Loop
• 10:35 Build Kits and Smart Information Diet
• 11:35 Community, Training, and Civic Pressure
• 12:33 Next Steps, Host Plans, and Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:17

To the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast, where prepping doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Coming to you from a well-defended off-grid compound high in the mountains. Coming to you from his Florida room in Richmond, Virginia. Neither off-grid nor well-defended, unless you count as chickens and cats, here is your host, Keith.

SPEAKER_01: 0:41

Hey everybody, this is Keith, and welcome back to the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast, October 7th, 2025. And we're going to take a break from our Prepper Camp podcast and talk about something that I've been putting together for the last several weeks. Today we're going to dive into a topic that's both timely and I would say urgent. It's the warnings of Sarah Adams, a former CIA targeting officer who's been sounding the alarm about potential terrorist attacks right here in the United States. Sarah is not just any voice. She's a battle-tested expert with a front row seat to some of the most pivotal moments in modern counterterrorism. So we're going to cover her incredible story, unpack the specific threats she's warned about, and tie this all into practical steps that you and I can take to be ready in the event something happens. So grab a notebook, a coffee, adult beverage of your choice, because this might be a long one. So let's start with Sarah Adams herself. Her credentials are the real deal. Known in CIA circles with the call sign Super Bad, Sarah has spent over a decade as a targeting officer and intelligence analyst hunting down some of the world's most dangerous terrorists. So we're talking Al-Qaeda, other jihadist networks that span across Europe, Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. So she has tracked them all. Her job, basically, the CIA, was to identify high-value targets, analyze their networks, and provide actionable intelligence to keep America safe. She has briefed everybody from White House officials, congressional leaders, military leaders. And while she was at the CIA, she earned multiple awards for her contributions to national security. So basically, she has the kind of resume that when people like her talk, we should probably lend an ear and listen to what they have to say. So one of her most defining moments came in 2012 during the Benghazi attack. This devastating assault on U.S. consulate and CIA Annex in Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. It was the deadliest attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in history. She was there on the ground, gathering intel through all the chaos. Later, from 2015 to 2017, she served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Select Committee on Benghazi, diving deep into what went wrong and how to prevent something like this happening in the future. Her work helped shape the committee's proposed report focusing on accountability and protecting U.S. personnel abroad. And I'll refrain from commenting on that last sentence. Moving on. So today Sarah is no longer with the CIA, but she is very much still in the fight against terrorism. She still advises the DOD Department of Defense about security solutions and security threats. She works with nonprofits like Freedom Alliance to support veterans. She's co-authored a groundbreaking book, Benghazi Know Thy Enemy. I have a copy of that. And she wrote that with fellow CIA alum Dave Boone Benton. Boone was in Benghazi. The book was published in 2022. It's a raw open source investigation into the Al-Qaeda networks behind the Benghazi attack. She names or they name over 150 terrorists and expose intelligence failures that left the case unsolved for years. It is an absolute must read for anybody who is serious about understanding modern terrorism. Sarah is on X. I guess her login or her handle is at TPA Sarah, Tom Paul Adams, Sarah, S-A-R-A-H. She has about 350,000 followers. She's very unfiltered and she talks a lot about global threats. She's got a very sharp wit, kind of funny at times. She describes herself as 10% humanitarian, 90% warlord. So let's talk about some of the things, I guess the highlights and the things that Sarah has been saying recently about a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. So recently she's been making headlines, a lot of ex posts, and she's been sounding the alarm about terrorism and terrorist threats on U.S. soil. And her warnings are urgent and they are very specific. With her deep experience tracking Al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups, plus her access to open source intelligence and a network of context that she still has, Sarah has been painting a picture for several months of a country at risk. She doesn't hold back, she tells it like it is. So let's break down her four major concerns that she's been highlighting as of today. So first up is what she calls the invisible bomb plot. She's been warning about a sophisticated Al-Qaeda plan to target U.S. aviation or public areas, malls, stadiums, airports. In a series of posts on X from late September, she has revealed that Al-Qaeda has been developing what she calls an invisible bomb. It's a device that is designed to evade current security measures, especially those at airports. So she's got a very frustrated response from the FBI, which is basically no response at all. And she doesn't hold back. She lets them have it. And she's called them out for not sharing this critical intel with local law enforcement saying, quote, the FBI is never going to thwart this plot, and their arrogance is going to get many Americans killed, end quote. So, second, she's been zeroing in on immigration vulnerabilities. And we're not just talking about just regular old illegal border crossings. That's part of it. But the bigger drum that she's been beating is she worried that terrorists are exploiting legal immigration pathways, fraudulent visas, or lax vetting processes. She's pointed to a specific case of the Al-Shabaab operatives, a Somali-based jihadist group that actually slipped into the U.S. legally, and she has warned that these operatives are already here, blending in. The Department of Homeland Security is not acting fast enough, according to Sarah. In her post, she's been tagging DHS and FBI leadership constantly, demanding immediate deportations of these known risks. Her point is clear, the system's broken and it's leaving us exposed. Now, if you ever, if you follow Sarah on X, or you've or you've seen her on the Sean Ryan show, she's been on the Sean Ryan show several times. She actually gives names. She gives names, she gives places. She'll tell you about a meeting that happened a week ago in a particular town and what they talked about. Again, a lot of this is open source, but she still has an awful lot of contacts. So she definitely knows what she's talking about. So she draws a direct line to Benghazi, where she saw firsthand red tape and poor coordination left Americans vulnerable. In her view, we are repeating the same mistakes of Benghazi. The stakes are much higher with groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS rebuilding their networks. So obviously, you could hear her frustration on her ex posts, her podcast appearance. Again, on the Sean Ryan show, Battle line podcast, she's not disventing. She's actually pleading for action, better visa screening, a different type of technology used to detect bombs at airports. There's a bunch of things that she is trying to get people to take notice of. In my opinion, the right folks are not listening. So Sarah's been waving this red flag for several months, not a theoretical red flag. She has the receipts, she has the information to back up everything she says. So what does this mean for you and I? How do we take these warnings and turn them into something practical? As we've talked about before, there is a fine line between paranoia and preparedness. Sarah is not telling us to go hide into a bunker. She's basically just wants us to be aware of what's going on. So let's talk about how we prep for these kinds of threats without losing your peace of mind. So first, situational awareness. You knew it was gonna come up. So situational awareness is your best friend. Sarah warns of public spaces, airports, malls, concerts that you need to stay alert. Practice what she calls OODA loop, O O D A loop. Observe, orient, decide, and act. When you're out and about, scan your surroundings, look for exits, note anything suspicious, and trust your gut. Huh, that sounds really familiar. Again, it's not about being paranoid, it's about being prepared and being present. For example, if you're at a crowded event, know where the nearest exits are and have a mental plan to get there fast if something kicks off. Number two, build a basic emergency kit. Sarah concerns about a potential attack, whether it's a bomb or a coordinated assault. Remind us that disruption can happen at any time. Get your go bag, water, non-perishable food, flashlight, first aid kit, multi-tool, copies of important documents. We've talked about this before. If you're in a city, add an N95 mask to your bag, store it in your car near your front door. It's not just for terror attacks, natural disasters, all sorts of things. And one of the websites, ready.gov, or I've FEMA as well, but Ready.gov is a really good website. It gives you a checklist and it's it's a solid starting point. All right, third, stay informed without drowning in noise. So follow credible voices like Sarah on X, T P A Sarah, or check out her book, Benghazi Know Thy Enemy, for context on how terror networks operate. Don't get sucked into the doomsday headlines. Cross-check your news with primary sources. I've said it before. Get your information from multiple sources. Think raw government alerts or raw data like FBI crime reports. Sarah's point about the FBI not sharing intel with local cops mean you might need to lean on your local resources too. Follow your city's police department or your county's police department on X, emergency alert systems, many, many counties and cities have those. Get the app for that particular jurisdiction. And last, connect with your community. Sarah's warnings about domestic radicalization highlights how threats can come from within. Get to know your neighbors, join a community watch, take a stop the bleed class, basic first aid. If something happens, you having a network of people you can trust makes all the difference. It's really good to know that someone might have your back. So Sarah's been hammering DHS and FBI to act despite known risk. Fix visa vetting and share intel. Write your local representative, ask them what they're doing about homeland security, or even share Sarah's post if you follow her on X. So Sarah's not here to scare us. She is here to wake us up and to make us aware of what's going on. Her experience in the CIA, who worked with Benghazi, relentless focus on today's threats, it all points to one truth that we cannot afford to be complacent. We also cannot afford to live in fear. Prepping is about empowerment, it's about knowing you've got a plan, you're paying attention, and you are ready to act if you need to. All right, so what's our next steps? Maybe it's building a go bag this weekend. Maybe go follow Sarah on X, or maybe it's just having a simple conversation with your family about what to do in an emergency. Whatever the emergency is, it could be an earthquake, it could be a storm, it could be somebody breaking into the home, it could be a fire. Sit down and have those conversations. Whatever it is, just take one step. Do one thing after you listen to the podcast. This weekend, I'm gonna make time to go over my get home bag. I've got a few things that I purchased for Prime Days the next three days with Amazon. So I've got several things on order and I have a few things here. I'm gonna go over my get home bag and swap out a few things. So, folks, if you found this deep dive into Sarah Adams warnings helpful, please share my podcast with a friend, give me a like, drop a review. It really helps the algorithm and it helps the podcast get out there a little bit more. Folks, if you need to reach me, practical prep podcast at gmail.com on the Twitters, Common Sense Practical Prepper, or Prep underscore Podcast. Again, folks, thanks for stopping by, and I promise we'll get back to my review and all the cool things I did at Prepper Camp real soon. And as always, be careful out there, take care of one another, and until next time.

SPEAKER_00: 13:33

Thanks for listening to the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. While you're at it, help spread the word by leaving a rating and review.