Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 21 October 2025

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters. 

‘Tragedy averted’ at Atlanta Airport as police arrest man with AR-15 allegedly threatening to ‘shoot it up.’

On October 20^th the Atlanta Police Department arrested a 49-year-old male after receiving a tip from his family that he was livestreaming a threat to “shoot up” the airport. The perpetrator had arrived at the airport in a Chevrolet flatbed truck and proceeded into the South Terminal, appearing to survey the busy TSA checkpoint area. His truck, parked outside, contained a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle and 27 rounds of ammunition. Because the perpetrator is a convicted felon and had acknowledged having mental health issues in social-media posts, the authorities believe he was preparing to use the weapon in the terminal. The arrest occurred within about 15 minutes after the initial tip was received. Officials described the situation as a “tragedy averted”.

Analyst Comments: This incident at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport serves as a clear example of the “See Something, Say Something” principle in action and how timely community reporting can directly prevent tragedy. The suspects family recognized concerning behavior, acted immediately, and alerted police. Their vigilance allowed law enforcement to intercept, illustrating how bystander awareness, early reporting, and rapid interagency coordination is important to stopping attacks.

UK NPSA: Insider Risk: A Guide to Influencing Leaders.

The UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) has produced guidance aimed at security professionals seeking to engage organizational leaders in establishing or strengthening insider-risk programs. It begins by defining “insider risk” as the likelihood of harm or loss to an organization through the action or inaction of someone with authorized access. Based on research interviewing over 250 senior decision-makers, the guidance highlights that while many leaders recognize insider risk in principle there are few who prioritize it: only about one in five see insiders as a threat and few have formal widely adopted procedures in place.

To improve engagement, the guidance offers several approaches:

• Make the risk tangible and meaningful to the business by linking insider events to key assets, using everyday language, and possibly running simulation exercises.
• Position the concept in ways leaders will respond to emphasize financial and reputational consequences; frame insider risk as a specific and concrete issue rather than an abstract “threat category”; and integrate responsibility across HR, IT, legal and other functions.
• Design insider-risk programmers so they are seen as proportionate and relevant, rather than cumbersome bureaucracy. Use peer-to-peer recommendations, board-level decision-making examples, and case studies to build credibility. 

Finally, the guidance provides a practical checklist: helping make insider events feel real, make the risk feel relevant, and communicate responsibilities and plans in a succinct, tailored way.

Analyst Comments: This guidance is especially relevant for faith-based organizations, which often rely heavily on trust, volunteer participation, and close-knit leadership structures. Unlike corporate or government entities, faith-based groups may lack formalized insider risk frameworks, leaving them more vulnerable to internal misuse of access whether financial, digital, or reputational. Applying NPSA’s principles can help these organizations frame insider risk as a community stewardship issue rather than a sign of distrust. Leaders can be encouraged to discuss insider risk as part of protecting congregational integrity, sensitive data, and the physical security of worship spaces. By integrating insider risk awareness into existing governance or ministry oversight practices, faith-based organizations can foster a culture of accountability and care protecting both their mission and their members while maintaining the trust that defines their community.

Anti-Christian hate crimes across Europe are being downplayed or overlooked – report

A new 125-page report from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) finds that hate crimes targeting Christians across Europe are frequently downplayed, under-reported or politically overlooked. The report documents that Christian individuals and congregations have faced incidents ranging from graffiti and vandalism to violent assaults and murder. A particularly acute risk is faced by converts from Islam to Christianity, including women who may suffer threats or violence from family or community members when their conversion becomes known. The report also highlights how some violence stems from perceptions of Christianity as a rival, inferior or adversarial faith, sometimes framed within extremist rhetoric that depicts Christians as “infidels” who must be subdued. It calls for governments, media and civil society to promote a clearer understanding of the specific nature of anti-Christian bias, improve reporting mechanism, adopt protective legislation, and ensure that media coverage does not reinforce stereotypes or bias against Christians.

Analyst Comments: The ODIHR findings show a persistent gap between the existence of anti-Christian hate crimes across Europe and the recognition of their severity by governments and institutions. While most European states formally record hate incidents, many fail to categorize attacks on Christians accurately which obscures their religious motivation. From a faith-based security and community resilience perspective, the report highlights the need for faith organizations to proactively document incidents, partner with law enforcement, and engage in interfaith dialogue to counter stigmatization. HOWs can also benefit from training on situational awareness, information sharing, and protective security measures like those used by other vulnerable faith communities.