Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 24 July 2023

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.

Follow up to Friday’s DAP Headline.

Man who ambushed Fargo officers likely had bigger and bloodier attack in mind, attorney general says | AP News

Excerpts from the article:

Over the past five years, Barakat, 37, searched the internet for terms including “kill fast,” “explosive ammo,” “incendiary rounds,” and “mass shooting events,” state Attorney General Drew Wrigley said Friday during a news conference in Fargo, a city of about 125,000 people. But perhaps the most chilling search was for “area events where there are crowds,” which on July 13 brought up a news article with the headline, ”Thousands enjoy first day of Downtown Fargo Street Fair.”

Had Officer Zach Robinson not killed Barakat, authorities said they shudder to think how much worse the attack might have been. All evidence suggests that Barakat came upon the traffic crash by “happenstance” and that his ensuing ambush was a diversion from his much bigger intended target, Wrigley said.

On the day of the attack, the downtown fair was in its second day and was less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the crash scene. It’s unclear if it was the intended target, though, as Barakat also searched for information on the Red River Valley Fair, which was just a 6-mile (10-kilometer) drive from the scene, the attorney general said.

Analyst Comment:

As Gate 15’s White Paper: The Hostile Event Attack Cycle (HEAC) describes, attackers usually spend a great deal of time planning their attacks. The attacker can change plans when an easier target presents itself or when the original target is too well protected.

Faith-Based Organizations should not only consider increasing the security of their facilities but should consider providing increased security for their outdoor events with large crowds.

For additional information, CISA provides a 2-page bulletin – Active Shooter Attacks: Security Awareness for Soft Targets and Crowded Places (cisa.gov).

Also, the Faith-Based ISAO website provides Physical Threat Security Resources.

DHS Announces Funding Allocations for FY 2023 Preparedness Grants | Homeland Security

One of the available grant areas is:

Nonprofit Security Grant Program: provides $305 million to support target hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack. This year, $152.5 million is provided to nonprofits in Urban Area Security Initiative-designated areas, and $152.5 million is provided to nonprofits outside those designated urban areas located in any state or territory.

Analyst Comment:

FEMA security grants are available to nonprofit organizations. Faith-Based Organizations should consider researching grant opportunities at Nonprofit Security Grant Program | FEMA.gov.