INTELLIGENCE/TERRORISM
ISIS-Inspired Plot Against the New York State Capitol — Albany, New York
The Justice Department announced on August 20 that Jessica Bowie, 35, was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Investigators say she was arrested August 19 as she took possession of what she believed was an explosive device, and that she made repeated visits to the Capitol grounds between July 21 and August 9, photographing the building. She recorded a video pledging allegiance to ISIS and distributed it online, and told others she intended to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill senators while they were in session, then flee to Syria. Court filings say she considered buying a firearm to shoot at officers who tried to stop her. The charges are allegations and she is presumed innocent.
🛡️ My thoughts: She was an easy catch. Buying bomb making material while wearing a full burkha is very brilliant. There are more out there that have better fieldcraft. We should be worried about the ones we don’t know about.
The 25th Anniversary of September 11 Two Weeks Away- Plus Other Significant Upcoming Dates
Federal counterterrorism reporting flags the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta from August 27 to 30, Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert from August 30 to September 7, and the US Open in New York from August 30 through September 13. The same calendar marks August 26 as the anniversary of the 2021 ISIS-Khorasan attack at Abbey Gate in Kabul that killed 13 US service members and roughly 160 civilians. The compilers state that these dates are listed because of their historic nature or current threat significance, and that the list is not comprehensive. September 11, 2026 is a Friday, which puts the anniversary weekend on your September 12 and 13 services.
🛡️ My thoughts: There are many dates coming up that can draw problems for the country. It is unknown if any of these will be brought to a Christian church. If there is an event, be prepared to open your church doors to help those affected.
Pro-ISIS Media Releases a 9/11 Anniversary Poster
Al-Bayda Media Foundation released a poster on August 18 titled “The Great Expedition of New York.” It pairs imagery of the World Trade Center attacks with a depiction of Andrew Card whispering to President Bush in the Florida classroom and an image of bin Laden, along with text commemorating the attacks and dwelling on their psychological effect. It mocks 9/11 conspiracy theorists for what it calls an inability to accept reality, and closes on a bin Laden quote encouraging action without limit. Analysts who reviewed it assessed that it aims to resonate with existing supporters and does not indicate an imminent or credible threat. Both ISIS and al-Qa’ida reliably push propaganda ahead of the anniversary.
🛡️ My thoughts: This is meant o draw up excitement from the anti U.S. crowd and anti Christian crowd. Their media efforts get better every day and they are attracting followers.
Western Plot Suspects Are Getting Younger and Most Have No Clear Ideology
France’s national counterterrorism prosecutor reports investigating more than one new jihadi terrorism case a week, with 70 percent of violent plans involving people under 22. In Italy, a 17-year-old girl was arrested in Lombardy on August 22 after downloading explosive vest blueprints, and a 16-year-old boy was arrested in Como for distributing jihadist and neo-Nazi propaganda. In the United Kingdom, the Children’s Commissioner reported on August 18 that child referrals to the Prevent program rose from 2,918 in 2016 and 2017 to 4,715 in 2024 and 2025, that 71 percent of those referrals involved children with no clear ideology, and that 79 percent were closed without progressing. Axel Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times before his case was closed for lack of a clear ideology, and he went on to kill three girls at Southport in July 2024. Nearly 60 percent of child referrals came from schools. The pattern your youth workers should understand is fixation on violence with no cause attached to it.
🛡️ My thoughts: CWT has been tracking this for at least a year and we have been bringing this to you almost weekly. Now we have some data to back it up. This is the kid in your children’s ministry that is lost and listening to AQ and ISIS propaganda.
Four Jihadist Publications This Week, Several Written in English
Al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent released the August edition of its Urdu magazine with an attack infographic. ISIS put out al-Naba’ issue 561, and the ISIS-Khorasan-affiliated al-Azaim Media Foundation released the fifteenth edition of Voice of Khurasan. Three pro-ISIS outlets published English-language posters, one titled “No Hope for the Crusaders” and another titled “To the Knights of Support.” Crusaders is the standard jihadist term for Western and Christian targets, and English is the tell that the audience is here rather than overseas.
🛡️ My thoughts: This is the material an isolated nineteen-year-old in your county finds on his own, and it is being produced weekly.
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORTS
Reader-submitted suspicious activity at U.S. churches. If you see something similar in your area, submit your own report at intel.christianwarriortraining.com.
Hayden, Idaho — Emailed Threat Built Around a Zip File Attachment
On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, a pastor at a church in Hayden, Idaho received an emailed threat directed at all Hayden churches, along with a second threat the reporter described as nationwide. The email told recipients to open an attached zip file for more information. The church’s safety team assessed it as a probable cyber attack built around getting church staff to open the attachment. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office was notified and no report number has been issued.
Fort Mohave, Arizona — Man Claiming to Be Saint Peter Asks for the Pastor
On Sunday, August 23, 2026, at about 10:45, a white male in his mid thirties walked up to two safety team members in the front parking lot of a church in Fort Mohave, Arizona carrying a stone that appeared to be handmade from clay. He said he was Saint Peter and had stone tablets, claimed the stone contained Moses, an alien footprint, and images of himself, and said the government had notified all pastors and priests that he was coming. He asked to speak with the pastor, would not listen when the team members responded, and left without incident after being told to go. The reporting team member documented the vehicle and plate before it left and noted the contact could be casing. Law enforcement was not contacted.
Wichita, Kansas — Truck Staged at the Back of the Lot Accelerates Away From Patrol
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, at 11:30, a roaming patrol at a church in Wichita, Kansas found a late model grey Ford F-150 crew cab parked at the far back of the main lot with the driver still inside. Once the patrol passed by, the driver accelerated hard through the lot and out onto the main street. The patrol vehicle’s camera captured the truck and the tag, and no contact was made. The team reports a few other vehicles have done the same thing over the past several months, a black Corvette one time and a motorcycle another, a different vehicle each time. Law enforcement was not contacted.
Knoxville, Tennessee — Registered Offender Arrested on Shared Church and School Campus
On Monday afternoon, August 24, 2026, a man was arrested in the parking lot of a school that shares a building with a church in Knoxville, Tennessee and charged with violating Tennessee’s restrictions for registered sex offenders. He is the parent of a student and had disclosed his registry status when he enrolled his child, and school leadership set parameters at the outset limiting him to drop off and pickup in compliance with state law. The school says it is not aware of the details behind the violation and has received no information connecting it to the student body. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is involved. The reporter notes that none of this was passed to parents or to the church security team members.
VIOLENT CRIME
Fatal Shooting at Historic Church Camp Meeting — Lincoln County, North Carolina
Curtis Baxter III was shot and killed at Tuckers Grove Campground near Iron Station, North Carolina, at about 1:20 a.m. on Sunday, August 23. Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies were on site providing security for the Tucker’s Grove Camp Meeting, a ten day annual event hosted by Tucker’s Grove Church and one of the oldest continuously operating African American religious camp meetings in the South, running since the 1870s. The sheriff’s office said a disturbance involving a firearm broke out and that an individual was shot by an unknown suspect. Deputies and EMS treated Baxter and transported him to Atrium Health Main in Charlotte, where he died a short time later. Family members told WSOC that children were playing nearby when the shot was fired. The shooter fled on foot and had not been caught as of this writing, and the sheriff’s office says there were several witnesses.
🛡️ My thoughts: This is a good example of conflicts from the street coming to haunt our youth groups. This has been happening several times a month during the summer this year. Use it as a lesson to prepare how to deal with pre-existing conflict that comes to your church.
Overnight Shooting on Daystar Church Property — Black Jack, Missouri
Police responded to a shooting on the grounds of Daystar Church in the 5100 block of North Highway 67 in Black Jack, Missouri, at about 1:30 a.m. on Friday, August 21. Officers found an adult male on the property with at least one gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital with injuries described as non life threatening. No suspect information, motive, or arrest has been released. This report is preliminary and the responding agency has not been named in coverage.
🛡️ My thoughts: Remember that trouble comes to the church often and it will, statistically, happen after hours outside of worship service hours and in the parking lot or surrounding areas. People that are running from danger will seek refuge at the church, whether it is open or not.
Man Charged in Assault on First Baptist Church Grounds — Burlington, Vermont
Dylan Andrews, 35, of Winooski, Vermont, has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly striking a person in the head on the grounds of First Baptist Church on St. Paul Street in Burlington. WCAX reports the attack happened on the evening of August 10, with charges filed August 24. Burlington police found the victim unconscious on the ground. Andrews was ordered held without bail. Police said the assault was one of several violent incidents downtown that week, including a shooting and two stabbings, and that none of them appear to be related.
🛡️ My thoughts: Use this as an example for your next scenario training. This happens frequently. Throw in a mentally ill man that is homeless in that training and you will be ahead of the curve when something like this comes to your church.
Woman Charged With Felony Battery of Child in Church Parking Lot — Steuben County, Indiana
Amy Fuller, 44, has been charged with Level 5 felony domestic battery and Level 6 felony neglect of a dependent after an incident in a church parking lot in northeast Indiana. Police were called to the church on a domestic battery report, and multiple witnesses told officers they watched Fuller drag a child to her car and punch him in the head repeatedly with closed fists after he asked for water. Fuller tried to leave the scene with two children in the vehicle and officers stopped the car. She told police she reacted because the child was “embarrassing me in front of people.” Medical personnel documented a large lump on the back of the child’s head and a hand shaped welt on his leg. Fuller was booked into the Steuben County Jail and faces up to eight and a half years if convicted on both counts.
🛡️ My thoughts: You will have to make a decision here; intervene and stop her from leaving and hold her for the police, or let the police find her. Think about it now, talk about it with your team and role play this scenario at training. Work it out now so you aren’t caught with your pants down when it happens at your church.
Pregnant Woman Stabbed in Face by Fellow Churchgoer — Harris County, Texas
Carrieale Williams, 19, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly stabbing a pregnant woman in the face, arms, and hands on the morning of Thursday, August 20, in the 12000 block of Dona Lane in northeast Harris County, Texas. The two women knew each other through church and had no other prior relationship. Williams invited the victim to a home on Dona Lane, and the victim noticed Williams trying to conceal a knife before Williams pulled it out and a struggle over the blade followed. Harris County Constable Precinct 3 deputies responded to an in progress call reporting a life in danger, arrested Williams at the scene at 5:52 a.m., and the victim was hospitalized with injuries that were not life threatening. Court records state the victim is dating Williams’ ex boyfriend. ABC13 reports the charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a pregnant person, and court records show Williams was arrested in January 2025 for assault on a pregnant person in a case that was later dismissed.
🛡️ My thoughts: I’m including this because we have a duty to check in with our congregants and ask them how they are doing and look for tell tale signs of domestic abuse or any sign they are in danger.
SEX CRIMES
Lutheran Vicar Charged With Molesting Two Month Old Infant — Fort Wayne, Indiana
Josiah Junkin, 27, a Lutheran vicar in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged with one count of child molesting for allegedly molesting a two month old girl in 2024 while changing her diaper. The case surfaced through a Michigan investigation after a man who had spoken with Junkin reported his disclosures to Michigan police. A woman told investigators that Junkin had struggled with a pornography addiction, including child sexual abuse material, since childhood, and that he admitted molesting the infant. A Michigan detective confirmed Junkin admitted the abuse took place in Fort Wayne, and one person told investigators he molested the girl on four occasions. Investigators also received photographs of Junkin’s journal from a sex addiction program describing sexual fantasies and his own acknowledgment of risk. A separate report went to the Indiana Department of Child Services, and the Indiana charge followed. Junkin is held in the Allen County Jail and faces up to 12 years if convicted.
A vicar is a seminary student completing a supervised church internship. No news outlet has named the congregation or the seminary, and the reporting does not place the alleged offense inside a church building.
🛡️ My thoughts: There is a huge millstone waiting to be hung on this man’s neck and I want to be there when the Lord places it on him. Please know that PEDOPHILES are seeking jobs in the church, maybe even your church, so that they can have easy access to victims. What are you doing to stop it?
ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES
Teen Charged With Arson in Fire That Destroyed Historic Church — Cleveland, Ohio
John Patrick McManamon, 19, has been charged with felony arson in the fire that destroyed the former Friendship Baptist Church at East 55th Street and Central Avenue in Cleveland shortly before 2 a.m. on Friday, August 21. More than 60 Cleveland firefighters responded, the roof collapsed as crews worked, and damage is estimated at more than $750,000. Investigators ruled the fire incendiary and said it was not set for financial reasons. According to the arrest warrant, McManamon and two other people entered the vacant building to take part in a social media trend described as “urban mining,” and a photo posted to social media from inside the building showed a fire in its incipient stage with multiple points of origin. Real time crime camera footage captured a vehicle parked on East 57th Street behind the church at about 11:58 p.m. and the group entering the structure. The building went up in the mid 1890s as a synagogue and had been vacant roughly seven years. McManamon was arraigned August 26 and held on a $10,000 bond.
🛡️ My thoughts: this is your weekly reminder that you need a fire alarm at your church.
Copper Theft From HVAC Units Sets Church on Fire — Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo firefighters were called to a church at 815 N. Jefferson Street at about 8:20 p.m. on Thursday, August 20, and had the fire under control by about 9 p.m. Investigators determined someone used a torch to cut copper refrigerant lines off the exterior HVAC condenser units in an attempted theft. The open flame ignited combustible material inside the exterior wall, and the fire spread into the building and a mechanical closet. Crews searched the structure and found it empty, and no injuries were reported. The Amarillo Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the cause reckless arson during an attempted theft. No suspect has been named and the case remains open. The fire department is asking property owners to secure exterior HVAC equipment where possible and report suspicious activity around churches.
🛡️ My thoughts: Copper theft is almost always done by meth addicts. They will cause more damage than the copper is actually worth. The recycling companies gladly take it, knowing how it was obtained.
VEHICLE COLLISIONS
Fleeing DUI Driver Crashes SUV Into Church — Indiantown, Florida
Geremias Pascual, 28, is charged with fleeing and eluding, DUI, and four counts of DUI related property damage after crashing an SUV into a church in Indiantown, Florida, on Monday, August 25. Martin County sheriff’s deputies saw the SUV swerving onto the grass while heading north on SW Washington Avenue through a residential neighborhood, and Pascual did not stop when they tried to pull him over. A PIT maneuver failed and Pascual accelerated before striking a tree, a power pole, and the side of the church. The SUV hit the church’s back building and destroyed both air conditioning units, the ones serving the fellowship hall and the children’s ministry wing, punched a hole in the stucco exterior, and broke a water spigot that cut off water to the property. Damage is described as thousands of dollars and no one was injured. Pascual was booked into the Martin County Jail, and CBS12 reports he is held on an ICE detainer.
🛡️ My thoughts: Pedestrian safety at your church should be paramount. Many of you are getting bollards and I applaud you. We all need to keep that fight going.
INTERNATIONAL
Gang Executes 22 Inside Church Compound Sheltering Displaced Families — Kenscoff, Haiti
Armed members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition raided the hillside commune of Kenscoff above Port-au-Prince on the night of Sunday, August 23, and the attack continued into Monday. Gunmen stormed a church compound where people displaced by earlier gang violence had taken shelter, and BINUH, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, reported that 22 of the victims were executed inside that compound. The UN put the toll at 47 killed and 22 injured on Tuesday, August 25, with more than 50 kidnapped, and said the count could rise. At least five children are among the dead. The Christian Post identifies the site as the Church of the Ark of the New Covenant, an evangelical congregation near the municipal cemetery, and reports the worship center was torched and animals killed. Kenscoff has absorbed roughly a dozen gang assaults since 2025. The United States has designated Viv Ansanm a foreign terrorist organization.
Pastor Killed and Church Leaders Abducted in Nuba Mountains — Heiban District, Sudan
Pastor Adel Idris Jongool of the Episcopal Church of Sudan was shot during an attack on the Dabbi area of Heiban District in South Kordofan and died of his wounds. Open Doors reports six civilians were shot in the Dabbi area on July 23. Pastor Yaqob Ibrahim Tia of the Sudanese Church of Christ was seized from his home in Heiban on July 23 along with two of his sons, a 15 year old nephew, and a fifth man, and all five were released July 28. Zakaria Suliman Jana, also of the Sudanese Church of Christ, was abducted July 31 and released the next day. Dozens of worshippers were kidnapped from an Anglican seminary and from churches, 32 were released, and an unknown number remained missing as of August 12. Church sources attribute the attacks to a breakaway faction of the rebel SPLA-N allied with the Rapid Support Forces. Morning Star News also reports a June 19 attack at Holy Cross parish in Kauda that killed a Catholic priest and one of his guards.
Thank you Keith. Good to read church security teams are involved in aborting many of these incidents. Kudos!
God bless you 🙏