Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 02 February 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.

Hostages at Procter & Gamble plant outside Istanbul rescued after 9-hour ordeal

Turkish police have released seven workers taken hostage by a pro-Palestinian gunman at a Procter & Gamble plant near Istanbul in protest at the war in Gaza. Turkish media earlier published an image of one of the purported suspects inside the factory – a man wearing what appeared to be a rudimentary explosives belt and holding a handgun. The US embassy in Ankara issued a warning in November about demonstrations “critical of US foreign policy” and calls for boycotts of US businesses. The advice followed protests and attacks on outlets such as McDonald’s and Starbucks over the Gaza conflict.

Analyst Comments:

We have seen plenty of examples over the last several years of protest activity morphing into hostile events. It is more important than ever for organizations to review how they are maintaining situational awareness within their communities to identify times when the threat environment is heightened and these type of incidents are more likely. Maintaining good relations with local law enforcement, and having an active presence on the FB-ISAO Slack Workspace are two excellent ways to maintain situational awareness.

Additional protest activity of note:

• 19 Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested After Blocking DC Roads
• CAIR-Philadelphia to Join ‘Pilgrimage for Peace’ from Philadelphia to D.C. Demanding Gaza Ceasefire
• National week of action: Stop U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza!
• CAIR-GA, Partners Demand Emory U Protect Palestinian, Muslim and Arab Students (Video)
• Affordable housing rally in Porto turns antisemitic
• British teen arrested by counter-terror police over London Palestine demo

The top threats facing the 2024 election

The 2024 presidential election is likely to face a complicated array of threats, from voter manipulation to physical violence, according to a new federal assessment — and authorities are already trying to figure out how to handle them.

Analyst Comments:

ICYMI, we have previously shared in Slack the DHS bulletin which details “The 2024 presidential election is likely to face a complicated array of threats, from voter manipulation to physical violence, according to a new federal assessment — and authorities are already trying to figure out how to handle them.”

The analysis continued, “Elections that involve candidates connected to issues that historically have prompted violence — including COVID-19 mandates, firearms restrictions, or abortion access — face a heightened threat environment,” the analysis said. “DHS is concerned with identifying and disrupting possible violent acts perpetrated by entities or individuals as retribution for perceived unfavorable outcomes before or following the elections.”

The fallout from the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision is an example of faith-based organizations being increasingly targeted as a result of polarizing social issues which have been politicized.

Synagogue ‘swatting’ prompts legislation to increase penalties in Arizona

Following hoax calls last year that triggered police responses to Arizona synagogues, a Republican proposal would increase the penalties for “swatting” in the Grand Canyon State. The online form of harassment, known as swatting, features a hoaxer tricking police to respond to fake emergencies or bomb threats, often with heavily armed SWAT teams. Swatting is frequently used to harass individual people at their residences. Last year, the incidents were used to target places of worship. 

Analyst Comments:

The New York Times reported last year that 26 such swatting calls were made in 12 states. The Arizona Mirror was the first to report some of those calls targeted Arizona congregations. House Bill 2508 adds schools and places of worship to the state’s false reporting law. It also increases the penalties for those who violate it from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 felony, the least severe felony charge in Arizona law.