Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 4 December 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.

Man in van filled with explosives, guns intended to attack a North Texas church, report states

From CBS News Texas:

The man White Settlement police found with explosives, guns, and ammunition in his van intended to attack a North Texas church, according to an incident report from the Fort Worth Fire Department.

…

White Settlement police got a call about a suspicious white van from someone who lived on Jason Lane around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26.

When officers got there, they found a man inside who seemed to be having a mental health crisis, according to police. They spotted a handgun in his lap and what appeared to be an explosive device on the passenger seat.

…

Police said the officers immediately detained the suspect and called the Fort Worth Fire Department Bomb Squad to handle the explosive devices found in the van. There was a rifle and an AR-Style pistol in addition to the handgun.

According to an incident report CBS News Texas obtained from the Fort Worth Fire Department, the bomb squad determined three of the eight devices found in the van were “indeed destructive devices.”

The report also said the suspect stated he was planning to attack a local church. It’s not clear which church he wanted to target.

Related Article:

• Man found in van with guns, explosives in White Settlement planned to attack local church: report
• White Settlement suspicious van driver told police he planned to attack a church | wltx.com

Analyst Comments:

An original report was carried in yesterday’s Faith-Based Daily Awareness blog on Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization’s (FB-ISAO) website. At that time, it was not reported that a church may have been the potential target. In the blog, the incident was noted as a case of If You See Something, Say Something®.

As in this incident, stopping a potential attacker before they enter a Faith-Based Organization’s (FBO) property is an ideal resolution to a potential attack. Stopping a potential attacker in the parking lot or just outside the property’s perimeter can also lead to a good outcome. Monitoring an FBO’s parking lot and just outside the perimeter for suspicious activity can possibly stop a potential attacker from entering a house of worship.

DHS provides an If You See Something, Say Something® Indicator Infographic Poster. The poster details sixteen suspicious activities that should be reported. Consideration should be given to displaying the poster in houses of worship facilities.

DHS’ How to Report Suspicious Activity website provides links to local tip lines.

There is also an FBI Electronic Tip Form.

It is recommended that local law enforcement should also be notified.

IN AN EMERGENCY CALL 911.

Weekly Security Sprint EP 91. Holiday scams, prepping the board / ransomware, and bomb threats

The Gate 15 Security Sprint is a weekly rundown of the week’s notable all-hazards security news, risks and threats and some of the key focus areas for organizations to consider behind the headlines. Gate 15 team members discuss physical security, cybersecurity, natural hazards, health threats and other issues across our environment.

In this week’s Security Sprint, Dave and Andy covered the following topics:

• Seasonal Scams! 
• Ransomware & Resilience!
• Threats to Public Officials and associated risks

The above Gate 15 Weekly Security Sprint website also provides links to many security-related items of interest.

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found at Podcasts (gate15.global).