Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 28 March 2024

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.

IntelBrief: The War in Gaza Reverberates in Europe as France Grapples with the Fallout

The Soufan Center has released their latest IntelBrief about the War in Gaza. They assess that the spillage of the Middle East conflict into France has led to a noticeable surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents, as well as threats of terrorist activities, particularly concerning the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. In the past week alone, reportedly, around 50 schools received menacing messages on their digital communication platform announcing an upcoming terrorist attack at their schools from an alleged Islamic State member.

A spike in antisemitic incidents has prompted widespread concern, with a majority of French citizens viewing these acts not just as a threat to individuals of the Jewish faith but also to society as a whole.

Analyst Comments:

The surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents is particularly concerning with the upcoming summer Olympic Games in Paris, set to host more than 15.3 million visitors worldwide. A surge of visitors can make it easier for threat actors to hide in plain sight, and conduct both reconnaissance as well attacks, and be less likely to be noticed.

Recorded Future: Violent Extremists Dox Executives, Enabling Physical Threats

Domestic violent extremists (DVEs) in the United States are increasingly doxing senior leaders from the public and private sectors — publishing their personally identifiable information (PII) with malicious intent and without the leaders’ consent. Historically, DVE doxing attempts usually targeted other DVEs and political opponents, but recent trends show a broadening scope of targets, including government officials, executives, and heads of various institutions. These doxes often follow the leaders’ or their companies’ involvement in contentious issues, such as stances on geopolitical conflicts, diversity policies, and political alignments.

Analyst Comments:

Several factors are expected to spur DVE doxing efforts, including geopolitical events like the Israel-Hamas conflict, the 2024 US presidential election, and private sector engagement with social justice issues. These tactics could similarly be used to target leaders of houses of worship, or other prominent members of faith-based organizations.

Explosive Atlantic hurricane season predicted for 2024, AccuWeather experts warn

Accuweather is reporting that a super-charged hurricane season could spawn a near-record number of storms in the Atlantic this year, and forecasters may even run out of names for storms amid a frenzy of tropical systems. AccuWeather meteorologists are forecasting 20-25 named storms across the Atlantic basin in 2024, including 8-12 hurricanes, four to seven major hurricanes and four to six direct U.S. impacts. This is all above the 30-year historical average of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, three major hurricanes and four direct U.S. impacts.

In addition to the number of storms and hurricanes, AccuWeather is predicting an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) of 175-225, above the historical average of 123. ACE measures the intensity and longevity of tropical systems throughout the year, making it a reliable way to quantify the true strength of a hurricane season. A powerful, long-lived hurricane will generate a large amount of ACE, while a short-lived tropical storm will only generate a small amount of ACE.

What areas of the US have the highest hurricane risk in 2024? “The Texas coast, Florida Panhandle, South Florida and the Carolinas are at a higher-than-average risk of direct impacts this season,” DaSilva said.

Analyst Comments:

It is never too early to prepare for the Atlantic Hurricane season. FB-ISAO will publish their Weekly Report focused on Hurricane Preparedness Week in a few weeks. For those who want to get a head start on planning, we recommend checking out the resources at Ready.gov.