Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 13 October 2026

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.

FB-ISAO Releases an All-Faiths Analysis of Attacks on U.S. Houses of Worship in 2025

The Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (FB-ISAO) released its third annual analysis of attacks on U.S. houses of worship, identifying 915 reported incidents in 2025, an 8.8% increase from 2024. Protestant churches accounted for 63% of incidents, followed by Catholic churches (14%), synagogues (12%), and mosques (5%). Theft and vandalism remained common, but casualties increased from 69 in 2024 to 202 in 2025, including 48 deaths and 154 injuries. Assaults accounted for nearly 90% of deaths and more than 86% of injuries.

More than half of reported incidents occurred outside houses of worship, highlighting vulnerabilities in parking lots, walkways, entrances, and surrounding grounds. Threats also varied by faith community, with Jewish and Muslim institutions experiencing more communicated threats, intimidation, and graffiti. Cyber incidents were significantly underreported, despite risks from phishing, compromised credentials, data theft, and extortion.

The report emphasizes prioritizing security measures based on the threats most likely to affect each congregation. These measures could include:

DC: Pastor arrested during prayer protest outside Chinese embassy: ‘A sad day in America’

Rev. Patrick Mahoney, leader of the Christian Defense Coalition, was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service on Sept. 28 after refusing to leave a public sidewalk outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. Mahoney was peacefully praying and protesting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s treatment of religious minorities. Mahoney alleges that Chinese diplomats claimed the sidewalk belonged to China and requested his removal, prompting the Secret Service to threaten him with arrest, despite later confirming with the District Department of Transportation that the sidewalk is public.

Mahoney was held for five hours and subsequently charged with unlawful entry, which is a misdemeanor, He maintains that the sidewalk is public property and that his arrest raises concerns about religious freedom, free speech, and First Amendment protections.

Analyst Comments: Protests outside foreign embassies and consulates can pose security and public safety risks, particularly when demonstrations involve contentious political issues or human rights concerns.

Potential risks include:

• Confrontations, counterprotests, and targeted harassment
• Blocked access, traffic disruptions, and property damage
• Misinformation, suspicious activity, and rapid escalation

Even peaceful demonstrations can change quickly when counterprotesters appear, inflammatory rhetoric or misinformation spreads online, or participants attempt to block entrances and roadways. Additional concerns include:

• Emergency access impeded by large gatherings
• Disruptions to nearby businesses and institutions
• Opportunities for vandalism, intimidation, doxxing, or malicious actors to use the crowd as cover

Risk Mitigation:

• Monitor planned activity and coordinate with law enforcement and property management
• Review access-control and shelter-in-place procedures
• Preserve clear emergency routes and promptly share verified information with personnel