Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 21 January 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.

Awareness and Prevention of Edged Weapon Attacks Fact Sheet | CISA

From the CISA website:

Attackers using edged weapons—such as knives, machetes, hatchets, box cutters, and other sharp instruments—can have severe consequences. Moreover, such attacks are relatively hard to detect, given the ease of obtaining and concealing many edged weapons. This resource provides suggested protective, training, and response measures that critical infrastructure owners and operators, as well as venue and event managers, can implement to help protect patrons, visitors, and their staffs.

The CISA 3-page guidance provides information on the following:

• Threat Environment (examples of edged weapon attacks)
• Prevention
• Screening
• Training and Exercise
• Response
• Additional Resources

PDF: Awareness and Prevention Against Edged Weapon Attacks

Analyst Comments:

The CISA guidance states, “Almost 20% of the mass attacks in public spaces studied by the National Threat Assessment Center involved the use of a bladed weapon.” The FB-ISAO’s 24 October 2024 Daily Awareness Post (DAP) highlighted the edged weapon attack of a church rector, by a woman, in a coffee shop. The DAP also provided other examples of edged weapon attacks. The multiple examples indicate that edged weapon attacks are a serious threat to Faith-Based Organizations (FBO) and their members.

FBOs and their members should consider reviewing CISA’s Awareness and Prevention Against Edged Weapon Attacks guidance to improve their organizational and personal safety and security.

Embezzlement Threat Continues

The following item illustrates that embezzlement, as highlighted in the 16 January 2025 Daily Awareness Post, continues to be a threat faced by Faith-Based Organizations.

NC Pastor Charged with Felony Larceny

 In October 2024, church members of Garden Creek Baptist Church reported fraud and theft to the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office . At the time, 60 year old Jeffrey Brian Merrow was pastor, and suspect. A social media post by the Sheriff’s Office says church members provided receipts for goods and services never purchased or rendered, all paid with church money.  Members also allege Merrow stole cash donations for hurricane relief and donated items, like generators and chainsaws for relief efforts, were reported stolen.

Weekly Security Sprint EP 95. Review of the headlines: EOs, Scams, cyber device warnings, ransomware and more!

The Gate 15 Security Sprint is a weekly rundown of the week’s notable all-hazards security news, risks and threats and some of the key focus areas for organizations to consider behind the headlines. Gate 15 team members discuss physical security, cybersecurity, natural hazards, health threats and other issues across our environment.

In this week’s Security Sprint, Dave and Andy covered the following topics:

• Executive Orders (EO)
  • Biden EO
  • Trump EOs
• FBI Releases Investigative Update in Bourbon Street Attack
• Scams

The above Gate 15 Weekly Security Sprint website also provides links to many security-related items of interest.

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found at Podcasts (gate15.global).

Nerd Out EP 55. Terrorism, Propaganda, All-hazards and a Skeleton Crew update

The Gate 15 Nerd Out! Security Panel Discussion, moderated by Dave Pounder, focuses on physical security topics including terrorism, extremism, hostile events, and other pertinent topics.

On the latest episode of Nerd Out, Alec Davison and Dave discussed recent terrorist activity and outlook for the future before looking at some of the propaganda that has been published to influence followers. They also looked at world events and the recent cease fire to assess what that may mean going forward before looking at all-hazards preparedness. Finally they wrapped up with some discussion about Skeleton Crew, and some future shows. Plus Alec makes a plea for Severance.

The Nerd Out website also links to references used in this episode.

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found at Podcasts (gate15.global).