Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 11 January 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.

American intel officials warn of risk of Hezbollah attacking U.S.

Politico reports:

“U.S. officials assess that there’s a rising risk Lebanese Hezbollah militants will strike Americans in the Middle East — and even potentially hit inside the United States, four officials familiar with the intelligence told POLITICO.

The Iran-backed militant group would likely target U.S. personnel in the Middle East first, the officials said. And U.S. intelligence agencies are gathering data on Hezbollah that suggest it could be considering attacks on both U.S. troops or diplomatic personnel overseas, two of the officials said.

The chance for an assault on U.S. soil is also growing as tensions in the region escalate, the officials said.

“Hezbollah could draw on the capability they have … to put people [in] places to do something,” one of the officials said, referring to a potential attack on the U.S. “It is something to be worried about.” The official, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to talk freely about sensitive intelligence.

…

“The arrests of individuals in the United States allegedly linked to Hezbollah’s main overseas terrorist arm, and their intelligence-collection and procurement efforts, demonstrate Hezbollah’s interest in long-term contingency planning activities here in the homeland,” FBI director Chris Wray said in a congressional hearing Nov. 15.”

Related article:

Undercover FBI Agents Helped Autistic Teen Plan Trip To Join ISIS

Analyst comments:

Faith-Based Organizations should remain vigilant against the possibility of an attack by an international terrorist group or a radicalized domestic extremist.

 FB-ISAO members are sharing additional information on the Israel-Hamas Conflict, as well as information about threats, domestic protests, and security coordination activities in FB-ISAO Slack. Join here.

Additionally, Faith-Based ISAO’s website provides resources in the Resource Library, including information on Securing Facilities and People.

In his 1st interview, friend warned officials about the Maine shooter

AP reports that multiple people warned law enforcement and the U.S. Army about the Maine shooter’s behavior. The article covers the actions taken that were not sufficient in stopping the shooting.

Relate articles:

• A review defends police action before the Maine mass shooting. Legal experts say questions persist
• Timeline of the Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting

Analyst Comments:

While it appears that authorities did not take proper action in this case, Faith-Based Organizations and individuals should continue to report suspicious behavior. Reporting suspicious behavior can prevent a tragedy from occurring. Reports should not be based on demographics but should be based on suspicious behaviors.

Successful Reporting of Suspicious Behaviors

The following articles about recent events show that reporting suspicious behaviors likely prevented tragedies. In the first case, a House of Worship made the report as the attack was about to occur and the second was a case of a mother reporting a son’s preparations to make an attack.  

• Man indicted for threatening to shoot, firebomb westside church
• Man arrested for building homemade bombs, making plans to ‘blow up’ Satanic Temple

Reporting Suspicious Behaviors

DHS’ Report Suspicious Activity website recommends:

“If you see something suspicious, citizens should always call local law enforcement.

If there is a life threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1.

When reporting suspicious activity, it is helpful to give the most accurate description possible, including:

• Brief description of the activity
• Date, time and location of the activity
• Physical identifiers of anyone you observed
• Descriptions of vehicles
• Information about where people involved in suspicious activities may have gone
• Your name and contact information (optional)”

The website also provides additional information on reporting suspicious activity.

If a reporter is not satisfied with the officials’ response, they should report up the chain-of-command or report the behavior to another organization.

Suspicious behavior can be reported to the suspicious actor’s employer or organization, local law enforcement, and regional or state fusion center.

Federal crimes and tips regarding terrorists can be reported to the FBI’s Electronic Tip Form.   The tip form is NOT for emergencies.

Recognizing Suspicious Behaviors

The following resources assist in recognizing suspicious behaviors:

Gate 15’s White Paper: The Hostile Event Attack Cycle (HEAC), 2021 Update provides information to help detect bad actors in the different phases of their planning and attack. PDF: HEAC-Series

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s U.S. Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators 2021 (dni.gov) provides indicators and who may witness them, including Family Members and Peers, Social Media Users, and Community Authority Figures and Members. Community Authority Figures and Members include religious leaders and congregants.