Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 25 August 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.

Jewish security group says it tipped off FBI about neo-Nazi arrested with arms trove

The Times of Israel reports that a Los Angeles based Jewish security group tipped off the FBI about a neo-Nazi. When the person was arrested, law enforcement found weapons, a home-made bomb, and antisemitic material.

The article states:
“The charging documents do not make clear when the FBI began monitoring Bradford. But according to the Community Security Initiative, a watchdog group at the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles that monitors threats against the Jewish community and provides safety training to Jews and Jewish institutions, the agency knew to investigate him, thanks to the Jewish group’s work. A CSI analyst told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the group had identified Bradford as a possible threat because of his social media use. He used keywords that the organization monitors for and expressed “implicit threats toward the Jewish community,” said the analyst, who requested anonymity out of concerns about their safety. “It’s one thing to post antisemitic content and imagery. It’s another to go into a little bit more detail of your own history and the fixation that one has on a certain community — that stood out right off the bat,” the analyst said.“

Analyst Comment:

Reporting suspicious activity should be a priority for Faith-Based Organizations (FBO).

In a related 2015 incident, the FBI’s investigation revealed that the perpetrators of the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, CA were “homegrown violent extremists” inspired by foreign terrorist groups.

Multiple neighbors of the perpetrators noticed them acting suspiciously but did NOT report them “for fear of racial profiling’. Concerned citizens should not report based on a profile, but report based on actions. A citizen may see something suspicious but think it’s not a big deal. But, if several people make a report even for something that is perceived as small, the FBI, a fusion center, or local law enforcement may combine reports to form a picture that warrants serious investigation, or possibly, immediate action.

The FBI has an online tip form at Electronic Tip Form.

FBOs should also know their local, regional, and state tip lines and suspicious activity reporting (SAR) processes.

FB-ISAO is offering an educational session on suspicious activity reporting on 04 October at 12pm ET. The session is open to members of FB-ISAO. Membership information is here. The session will include a discussion of

• We have a myriad reasons not to report, however, time and time again saying something has averted a hostile event.
• What’s the point before SARS and how do intelligence analysts use them.

Daily, the FB-ISAO blog site provides the Daily Awareness Post (DAP). The DAP highlights physical and cybersecurity issues of interest to FBOs. The DAP also provides links to Faith-Based Stories and Select All-Hazards Stories.