Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 20 April 2026

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.

Fire as an Act of Sabotage Guidance

The Fire Act Sabotage Guidance, published by the UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), is primarily intended for owners, operators, and security managers in the public and private to counter arson attacks, which are commonly used to disrupt the operation of a facility in order to intimidate its owners. The guide sets out a structured six‑step process for planning preventative and mitigative measures, designed to integrate fire-related sabotage risks into existing protective security frameworks. The steps include multiple fire-specific threat considerations for leaders to address with their safely planning.

Analyst Comment: While the current Russia-Ukraine War started the trend of sabotage-related arson in Europe, the recent onset of the US-Iran War has seen an intensification of the tactic, especially in the UK. While domestic Houses of Worship (HOW) are less at risk of similar tactics due to the higher difficulty Iranian-linked groups face when operating on American soil, members are still encouraged to consider the detailed guidance in this document as domestic violent extremists also often use arson to target HOWs.

What Is HAYI, The Shadowy Islamist Group Claiming Attacks Across Europe?

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty has written an article discussing the Islamist network calling itself Harakat Ashab al‑Yamin al‑Islamia (HAYI), which has claimed responsibility for a string of arson and bomb-related attacks on Jewish institutions and U.S.-linked financial sites across Europe since early March 2026. Western security services suspect the group operates as an Iran-aligned proxy or within a broader pro‑Iranian online ecosystem. Investigators say the group relies on simple, low-casualty tactics such as arson or improvised explosives, while recruiting vulnerable teenagers and young adults online—often through social media platforms like Snapchat—to act as expendable operatives.

This model has been highlighted in the UK, where multiple antisemitic arson attacks, including an attempted firebombing that caused minor smoke damage at London’s Kenton United Synagogue, are being treated by counterterrorism police as part of a coordinated campaign against Jewish sites. Although no fatalities have resulted and no government has publicly proven direct Iranian state control, officials argue the targeting patterns, recruitment methods, and use of cutouts resemble previous Iranian proxy operations.

Analyst Comments: While open-source knowledge must be taken with a grain of salt at this stage of investigation into the group, HAYI has become the public face of the spate of Jewish and U.S.-targeted nuisance attacks. HAYI’s current efforts appear to be focused on Europe; however, the group’s online presence and online recruitment tactics means the possibility of a pivot in focus to HOWs in the domestic U.S. is still present. Members are encouraged to stay aware of the developing news surrounding this campaign in Europe.