Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 31 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.

Officer describes confronting Apalachee High School shooter in smoky hallway and says the tragedy could have been much worse

From a CNN report:

“We didn’t have a whole lot of information, but … then all of a sudden we hear gunshots, and we both kind of looked at each other for that split second,” Boyd said in an interview with River Hills Church, a community-focused Christian church in Winder, a community of 19,000 residents about 50 miles east of Atlanta.

… the deputies and their swift response have been credited with halting the gunfire before the shooter could claim more victims. And it highlights the crucial role law enforcement can play in the early moments of a school shooting …

Related Articles:

• ‘We did what God put us here to do.’ School resource officers describe response to deadly shooting (Oct 2024)
• A timeline of the Apalachee High School shooting (Sep 2024)

Analyst Comments:

The above articles show the possible effect of armed security in schools. Armed security may be an option at schools operated by Faith-Based Organizations (FBO).

FB-ISAO’s current Monthly Education series is presenting Standing Up Teams. This series of discussions is on how to effectively create, develop, and manage Security Teams for houses of worship. The material in this series may also be useful when developing a Security Team for an FBO-related school.

The FB-ISAO FireArms in the House Series: What Did We Learn? post may also be a useful resource.

As the post states, “The FB-ISAO takes no position on this topic, other than to promote best practices in pursuit of the house of worship’s objectives and implementation of any appropriate model.”

“The Time Has Come” – Shadowy Post Encourages New Year’s Day Jihad In America And Europe

From a Yeshiva World News post:

An anonymous Telegram account with fewer than 500 followers posted a message in Arabic on Sunday, calling for Muslims in the United States, Europe, and Russia to join “brothers in the land of Jihad” … The post continues by referencing New Year’s, describing it as “feasts of polytheism,” and calling on readers to disrupt them. “Turn their feast into mourning and their joy into a calamity. The people of Islam have suffered from their evils in various places… from killing, bombing, storming, demolition, displacement, and homelessness” … No immediate evidence links the account to any established militant group. Its authenticity, sincerity, or potential ties to extremist factions remain unclear.

Related Article:

• Even without a specific threat, officials concerned about safety at Times Square ball drop

Analyst Comments:

While the above call to violence may not reach many people, it does indicate that New Year events continue to be a possible target for a variety of terrorist organizations and lone threat actors. Faith-Based Organizations that are holding New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day events should consider the additional threats to this holiday.

Vehicle Ramming Threat Continues

Uniontown man jailed on threat charges

A Fayette County man is being held on $100,000 bail after he was accused Sunday of threatening to drive his vehicle through St. George Maronite Church, 6 Lebanon Terrace, Uniontown. Uniontown police allege that after being told he would have to wait until regular office hours to speak in private with the Rev. Aaron Sandbothe, (name omitted), 55, of Uniontown, got into his vehicle and started to drive very fast in the parking lot, which was filled with people around noon Sunday.

Analyst Comments:

The 30 December 2024 Daily Awareness Post and 24 December 2024 Daily Awareness Post highlighted vehicle attacks.

The Uniontown incident indicates that vehicle ramming remains a threat that should be considered in security planning and procedures.

The above incident also shows that security begins at the parking lot and property perimeter.

Happy New Year Greeting

As another tumultuous year comes to an end, the FB-ISAO Daily Awareness Post team is thankful for any attacks that were prevented or mitigated. We hope that your New Year is peaceful and fulfilling.

In the New Year, the Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) will continue to provide members of all faiths with information, analysis, and capabilities to help reduce risk while enhancing preparedness, security, and resilience.