Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 5 March 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. 

Weekly Security Sprint EP 101: Security Updates and Resilience Considerations 

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:

• The physical and cyber supply chain 
• Manmade threats 
• Terrorism 
• Weather, climate, & environment 
• Health preparedness 
• Cyber threats 

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found here. 

Montgomery County Synagogue Impersonation 

A FB-ISAO Member recently shared in Slack that members of a synagogue in Montgomery County, Maryland received an email impersonating the president of the synagogue asking them to download the synagogue directory from ShulCloud and send it to them.  

Analyst Comments: It is always important to double-check the identity of the person reaching out to you. This may be by confirming phone numbers, email addresses, or using official channels to verify someone’s identity. If you are ever unsure, it is better to ask before replying. Churches should communicate with their members through official, verified channels, if you receive messages through personal account or unknown methods, treat them with suspicion. Due to churches holding sensitive information about members, it is important that records are kept secure, and access is limited to authorized individuals only.   

As always, FB-ISAO’s website has valuable resources at Resource Library – FB-ISAO 

‘Erratic’ man at Kentucky church told police about plans to bomb major city, cops say 

 Maurya Bharward, a man from Barbourville, Kentucky, was arrested after attempting to purchase a firearm using false information on a document. The arrest followed suspicious behavior at a local church and an incident at a gun store where Bharwad acted erratically and tried to leave with an unloaded gun. He had lied on the firearm purchase form, falsely claiming he wasn’t under the influence, even though he was high at the time. Bharwad, a citizen of India with an expired student visa, was charged with making a false statement during the gun purchase. During questioning, police discovered he had been researching how to make a bomb and planned to use it in the New York City’s tunnels to cause widespread disruption. He reportedly wanted to bomb the city due to a personal incident there. 

Analyst Comments: The case of Maurya Bharwad highlights the vital role of the “See Something, Say Something” principle. Churchgoers in Barbourville were the first to notice his suspicious actions, particularly when he was seen inspecting various rooms inside the church. Their attentiveness led to authorities being notified, which ultimately resulted in his arrest and the discovery of his dangerous intentions. This situation emphasizes how people can significantly contribute to identifying potential threats, especially when they observe unusual or concerning behavior.  

• DHS See Something Say Something 
• See Something Say Something Campaign