Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 14 December 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. 

Recent Reports Concerning Threats from Juveniles

• 13-year-old accused of plotting mass shooting at Canton Jewish synagogue. The suspect “did create a detailed plan to complete a mass shooting at the Temple Israel on the Discord platform which was reported to law enforcement and required an immediate investigatory response and notification of public individuals and agencies including the school system which caused significant public alarm within those agencies,” according to a court filing in the case.
• Juvenile Arrested for Conducting Swatting Attacks Targeting Synagogues and Other Institutions. “…announced that a juvenile suspect who was a member of an online swatting ring was arrested on the morning of December 12.
  • “A series of hoax swatting threats had been made over the summer targeting numerous religious, educational, and public institutions in the United States, to include Jewish synagogues and African American churches. The group suspected of perpetrating the hoaxes was known to have called in bomb threats and swatting attempts at Jewish facilities, including at least 25 synagogues in 13 states between July 2023 and August 2023…
  • “The suspect was arrested on the morning of December 12…swatting attempts occurred at synagogues in Tustin, California, and in Fullerton, California.”
  • Juvenile arrested for ‘swatting’ hoaxes targeting churches in Southern California

Analyst Comments:

The above items show that threat evaluations performed by Faith-Based Organizations should include possible attacks by young people. Youths may be susceptible to radicalization due to calls for violence related to the Israel and Hamas conflict.

On 12 December, the FBI issued a Public Service Announcement (PSA) notifying of a “Threat of Violence Likely Heightened Throughout Winter”. The PSA states:

“FBI, DHS, and NCTC assess that ongoing tensions related to the conflict between Israel and HAMAS likely heighten the threat of lone actor violence targeting large public gatherings throughout the winter, including holiday-related, faith-based, New Year’s Eve, and First Amendment protected events related to the conflict. Although this announcement is not in response to any specific plotting activity, these targets likely remain attractive to lone actors inspired by a range of ideologies due to their accessibility and symbolic nature.

… Such gatherings could become a convenient target for those inspired to commit violence against Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Arab communities…”

UK NPSA: Social Media Auditors

The following is from the United Kingdom’s National Protective Security Authority. Emphasis is added.

There is a small but increasing number of reports within the United Kingdom involving individuals who attend premises and outside spaces, with the aim of capturing staff and property on camera, the content from which is often uploaded to social media and video platforms. We refer to them as Auditors in this guidance as it’s the term most associated with them online. Other terms include Social Media Auditors and Citizen Journalists. Auditors take advantage of the understandable concerns from personnel when staff premises are photographed or filmed. Auditors often attempt to provoke staff and security in order to elicit heightened reactions, at times asserting that staff are overstepping legal boundaries. They are well versed in their own rights and frequently cite legislation when challenged. It is not an offence to be an Auditor of to film personnel and property from a place the Auditor is allowed to be. This includes filming private property with a drone where a drone is allowed to fly. Auditing activity is mostly harmless, and the amount of compromising information gathered by filming vehicles, personnel, equipment or the facility itself is generally minimal. Issues typically arise when staff and security engage in a hostile manner, by quoting legislation incorrectly, or by giving inaccurate statements such as “You are not allowed to film here”. While the Auditors themselves might not have hostile intent, the content they create and post online could be viewed by genuine hostile actors. As such, conveying an air of a professional security culture is helpful – such as highlighting the CCTV which alerted you to their presence – but without giving unnecessary insight into your security infrastructure or procedures. When interacting with suspected Auditors, we recommend a CALM approach – Chat, Assess, Limit, Monitor.

• Chat in a friendly manner
• Assess for hostile intent
• Limit interactions beyond what’s necessary
• Monitor risk of escalation 

It is important that all personnel remain polite and professional if responding to a situation where someone is recording premises and/or staff. When engaging, remember that your first words will often dictate the tone of the interaction.