Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 27 November 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. 

3 people shot in Vermont identified as Palestinian college students

Three Palestinian college students were shot in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday evening, prompting calls from civil rights organizations and the victims’ families for authorities to look into possible bias by the attacker.

The 20-year-old men are all receiving medical care, according to a Sunday news release from the Burlington Police Department. “Two are stable, while one has sustained much more serious injuries.”

The students were walking on Prospect Street while visiting a relative in Burlington for the Thanksgiving holiday when “they were confronted by a white man with a handgun,” says the release. “Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled on foot,” police said.

That account is somewhat disputed by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) who indicated, “The three victims were wearing a Kuffiyeh and speaking Arabic. A man shouted and harassed the victims. Then he proceeded to open fire, injuring all three. ADC calls on law enforcement in Vermont to investigate this shooting as a hate crime.

Analyst Comments:

The alleged gunman in the suspected bias attack shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont, has been arrested, according to police. Jason Eaton, 48, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon after he was identified as a suspect, Burlington police said, according to CNN. While reports indicate that a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas will be extended, that will not necessarily deter long actors from carrying out random acts of violence. FB-ISAO encourages all members to remind their communities to remain vigilant, both in protecting houses of worship, and individual members within the community.

FBI investigates anti-Israel vandalism at Mercer Island synagogue

A Mercer Island synagogue was vandalized overnight with anti-Israel graffiti, marking the latest affront to Jewish institutions in the Seattle area, officials said Wednesday. Herzl-Ner Tamid was defaced with a number of spray-painted phrases related to Israel, which has been at war with Hamas since Oct. 7. The FBI, which initially responded Wednesday morning, is leading the investigation, according to Mercer Island police. The synagogue said leaders are taking the incident very seriously and there are no credible threats of violence.

Analyst Comments:

This incident comes as four Seattle synagogues have recently received suspicious packages that have prompted evacuations and hazmat responses. “Have more love, more light and stop trying to scare Jewish people in the greater Seattle area, cut it out,” Levi Levitin, a rabbi for Chabad Capitol Hill & Central District, recently told KING 5. There were no reports of any injuries or property damage at any of the Seattle locations, however.

Church targeted in ‘malicious cyberattack’: Primate

The office of General Synod has been targeted by cyber attackers who stole money from its bank account, announced Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada in a Nov. 25 session of the Council of General Synod (CoGS). All funds stolen have since been recovered, she said. “Despite all efforts and precautions taken, the General Synod was recently the victim of a malicious cyber attack,” Nicholls told CoGS, reading a prepared statement. “Hackers, possibly from abroad, executed a targeted attack of an employee’s email account using information available online.”

Analyst Comments:

According to Nicholls, “It is an unfortunate lesson that cyber criminals will prey on the most innocent of victims. Upon discovering the incident, a top security firm was immediately brought in to ensure the breach was contained and eradicated. We are confident that the General Synod’s network and data are secure,” she said. In response to a question from a member of CoGS, Clare Burns, Chancellor of General Synod, clarified that no one’s personal financial information was leaked or accessed in the attack.

These type of incidents are an important reminder for organizations that houses of worship, charities, and nonprofit organizations can be targeted by cyber criminals just as often as major corporations. Members are encouraged to review their organization’s basic cyber hygiene and ensure they are adhering to some of the recommended cyber essentials.

Dublin riots: What to know about the stabbing attack and clashes in Ireland

Protesters in Dublin fought with police, torched vehicles and looted shops on Thursday after three children were injured in a knife attack outside a school. Three children were among five people injured on Thursday in a knife attack outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire, a school for primary-aged children. After the attack, violent unrest broke out just after 18:00 GMT when a group of 50 anti-immigrant protesters briefly broke through a police barrier.

Analyst Comments:

Police said the unrest was driven by a “lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology” and warned against “misinformation”. Undoubtably, more information will be learned about the motivations behind the attack. But in the aftermath, Police Commissioner Harris said 13 shops were damaged or looted, 11 police cars damaged and destroyed along with three buses and a tram. The riot demonstrates how civil unrest can spill out and impact adjacent businesses and organizations outside of those that were involved in the initial incident.

Members are encouraged to continually be prepared to address all-hazards incidents, whether those be cybersecurity, physical security, or from natural disaster as the threats can often appear with no notice. Part of a recommended preparedness plan is to regularly exercise plans and procedures to ensure staff are ready to both mitigate and respond to incidents. Please reach out to FB-ISAO staff if you would like to know more about preparedness exercise opportunities.

Also see: ‘It Snowballed:’ How a Knife Attack in Dublin Led to a Riot