Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 21 April 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. 

The Gate 15 Interview EP 57 – Adriana Villasenor on info sharing, resilience, and racing 

The Gate 15 Interview is a monthly interview between Gate 15’s Founder and Managing Director, Andy Jabbour and guests from throughout the homeland security risk management community addressing a wide range of all-hazards topics and issues. 

In this episode of The Gate 15 Interview, Andy Jabbour speaks with Adriana Villasenor. Adriana is a Senior Director in FTI Consulting, based in New York.  

In this discussion Andy and Adriana discuss:  

• Adriana’s Background 
• Info Sharing 
• ISACs today, ISACs tomorrow 
• Crypto ISAC! 
• Resilience 
• We play 3 Questions! 
• Lots more!

How a security gap at FSU heightened students’ fears even with the speedy police response 

 Following the April 18, 2025, mass shooting at Florida State University (FSU), students are demanding stronger campus safety measures particularly functioning locks on classroom doors. Meghan Bannister and Sarah Walker, students caught in a lockdown during the shooting, were under the impression that their classroom doors couldn’t be locked, which intensified panic among students. Their experience, along with others reporting similar vulnerabilities, led to a student-led petition that has gathered nearly 30,000 signatures, calling for operational locks on all classroom doors. 

In the confusion about the presence of locks many students reported using makeshift barricades or relying on faculty to hold doors shut. Experts, like security consultant Brian Higgins and CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem, noted that while locks alone can’t prevent every tragedy, they are a basic and crucial layer of safety in active shooter scenarios.  

“During a lockdown situation, like on April 17, doors in the HCB Building lock immediately as they are part of our electronic locking system that is centrally managed,” FSU spokesperson Amy Farnum-Patronis did clarify to CNN.  

Analyst Comments: Conducting after action reviews following an incident (both cyber and physical) is a crucial step in developing resilience. This incident also shows the importance of conducting full drills. While discussion-based exercises are an important part of any organization’s resilience plan, physically conducting steps of a plan can demonstrate where gaps exist. A lockdown drill could have identified the potential for confusion around the existence of door locks. Given the panic the perceived lack of locks caused, and the confusion on the part of both students and faculty, it shows that highlighting existing security protocols as a part of emergency communications can help mitigate undue chaos and anxiety. 

What is a Christian Warrior? Shooting of Kansas priest draws security YouTuber’s attention 

The article explores the rise of church security concerns in the U.S., focusing on the YouTube channel Christian Warrior hosted by former police officer, and FB-ISAO member Keith Graves. Following the recent fatal shooting of a Kansas priest, Graves posted a video warning of increased threats to churches. His channel combines religious faith with tactical defense training, promoting preparedness against potential attacks while emphasizing prayer and responsible conduct. 

Graves rejects vigilantism and says his aim is to protect, not provoke violence. While his content highlights real church attacks, some question whether it fuels unnecessary fear or offers helpful awareness. The piece reflects on the tension between faith, security, and America’s gun culture leaving it up to the reader to decide whether such warnings are prudent or panic-inducing. 

Analyst Comments: It is important to be prepared, especially given recent acts of violence in religious spaces. Faith-based organizations should discuss within their organizations about establish a security plan, form a safety or security ministry team, educating the congregation, collaboration with local authorities, and connect with other faith groups. Members are encouraged to engage with and learn best practices from resources like Christian Warrior. In case you missed it, FB-ISAO recent stood up a community of interest for lone defenders, which can be enough great resource for security operations with limited resources.  As always FB-ISAO resource library has resources on securing facilities and people.  

Pro-Al-Qaeda social media user urged supporters to ‘Bury the Zionists and Crusaders’ and ‘Pursue them with death’ in ‘the infidel West and criminal America’ 

A pro-AI-Qaeda social media account shared a post titled “O peoples of Islam, today is the day of epic battle.” The message called on followers to attack Zionists and Western forces in territories they claim are under occupation, stating they should be driven out “with bullets and the fire of retribution”, claiming that “what was taken by force can only be reclaimed by force.” The post further incited violence, urging, supporters to “hunt them down, even in their homes and hideouts.” 

Analyst Comments: The phrase “O peoples of Islam, today is the day of the epic battle” reflects an effort to invoke a religious narrative, presenting the conflict as a divine or historical duty. By instructing supporters to “pursue them with death, even in their homes and dens,” the source promotes decentralized and potentially lone actor attacks. This mirrors the strategic shift seen in many extremist networks from organized plots to encouraging individual acts of violence that are harder to detect or prevent. The full TLP:AMBER (U//FOUO) document will be posted on FB-ISAO Slack.