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Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

Jordanian security forces wounded and arrested three suspects in the October 23 funeral attack at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud on Monday, October 26, and Jordan’s air force struck what it called terrorist hideouts in southern Syria the same night. In Florida, a 15-year-old Gainesville student is charged after investigators say he sought help from Islamic State supporters to build drones and explosives and kept chemicals for a homemade explosive in his bedroom. Five people fired more than 25 rounds outside a Manassas, Virginia church on Friday night, October 23, as a rented party let out, and a homicide suspect died by suicide on Tuesday, October 27 after an armed standoff inside a historic Catholic church near Round Top, Texas. A 63-year-old church usher and registered sex offender in Milford, Massachusetts is charged with raping a girl in the church basement, and pastors in Colorado and Oklahoma were arrested on child sex abuse charges. A Kansas City Baptist church was set on fire on Tuesday, October 20, a truck backed into a Raytown, Missouri church during Sunday worship on October 25, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church says at least 60 of its members were killed in two attacks in Oromia.

TERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE

Three Arrested and Airstrikes Launched After the Church Funeral Attack: Karak, Jordan

Jordan’s Public Security Directorate arrested three suspects on Monday, October 26, 2026 after a shootout of about three hours at an abandoned house in Al-Jadeeda village near Karak, and all three men were wounded when they refused to surrender. Officials named them as brothers Hazza Zaidan Mohammed and Meshal Zaidan Mohammed and their brother-in-law, Ahmad Sami Hussein. They are accused in the Friday, October 23 attack on a funeral at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud village, which killed nine people and wounded at least 34. Late on October 26 the Royal Jordanian Air Force struck what it called terrorist hideouts in Syria’s Daraa and Suwayda provinces under the name “Jordanian Deterrence-Hmoud,” and the armed forces said the targets were tied to the attackers. No group has claimed the attack, and officials have given conflicting statements on whether the suspects had outside direction.

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🛡️ My thoughts: I did an in depth review of this case. You can watch the video here:

Teen Accused of Seeking Islamic State Help to Build Bombs and Drones: Gainesville, Florida

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Jude Sleeper, 15, a Buchholz High School student, after an investigation into his online contact with members and supporters of the Islamic State. Investigators say he asked them for help building drones and explosives to attack people at an unknown location. Agents searched his home on Northwest 59th Lane, and the sheriff’s bomb squad found two jars in his bedroom that allegedly held chemicals used to make triacetone triperoxide (TATP). His phone allegedly held bomb-making files and Islamic State propaganda. He is charged with making or attempting to make a destructive device, and investigators say more charges are possible.

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Teen Arrested Over Alleged Islamic State Plot to Kill a Congressman: McKinney, Texas

The FBI arrested a 17-year-old from McKinney on Monday, October 5, 2026 after he acquired a firearm, and the case became public on Thursday, October 22. Investigators allege he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and planned to assassinate U.S. Representative Keith Self, reportedly at a campaign event. He was described as recently radicalized. He is in federal custody, and a federal judge will decide whether he is tried as an adult. His name has not been released, and the FBI declined to comment.

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🛡️ My thoughts: These types of cases have been increasing exponentially. You may have noticed more of these cases here in the newsletter. We should pay attention to that. As these cases increase, so do our chances of a church being hit by these people. ISIS is encouraging these people online and they are listening.

Man Charged Over Escalating Threats Against the Governor, a Pastor and Places of Worship: La Vergne, Tennessee

La Vergne Police announced on Thursday, October 22, 2026 that a La Vergne resident is charged with felony threat of mass violence and misdemeanor resisting arrest. Police say the suspect’s online threats grew from general statements to specific people and places, naming Gov. Bill Lee, Pastor Corey Trimble and places of worship. One officer and two detectives had minor injuries in the struggle during the arrest, and the suspect was taken for a mental health evaluation. Williamson County had already issued an order of protection against the suspect. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and several local agencies assisted, and the suspect’s name has not been released.

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Investigation Ties Toronto Shootings at Synagogues to Iranian Money: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News investigation identified a dozen politically motivated gun-for-hire shootings in the Greater Toronto Area that appear to have been paid for by the government of Iran. The targets included synagogues, a school, businesses and the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto. Reporters reviewed court files where arrests have been made and built profiles of the accused. They found shootings clustered in the same parts of the city on the same nights, aimed at both political and non-political targets. U.S. court documents have already tied the consulate and synagogue shootings to Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, the accused Iran-backed plotter now held in New York.

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Jihadist Recruiters Build Islamic State Games on Roblox for Children: Global

A government counterterrorism digest released this week summarized research from the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET) on how jihadist recruiters use Roblox, Discord and TikTok to reach minors. Recruiters post Roblox gameplay clips on TikTok with Discord links in the comments, then steer interested players to games that simulate jihadist life. In some games players choose to be an Islamic State fighter or a prisoner, wear Islamic State clothing, pick a jihadist faction and fight civilians. One clip shared on TikTok plays a speech by the late Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani calling for the killing of citizens of countries allied with the United States. Roblox’s user base is mostly under 16, and the 2026 Global Terrorism Index warns that online radicalization that once took months can now happen in weeks or days.

Source: internal restricted government document

Critical PHP Flaws Put Church Websites at Risk: United States

Two critical flaws in PHP, the programming language that runs many church websites, online giving pages and content systems such as WordPress, were disclosed with patches on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The flaws, tracked as Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) entries CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, let an attacker run code on a web server without logging in, and one can also expose server memory. In an October 23 public service announcement, the FBI urged anyone running a website to update PHP immediately, take a system offline if it cannot be patched right away, and watch web servers for PHP processes launching command shells or downloading files. The fixed versions are 8.2.35, 8.3.36, 8.4.27 and 8.5.12 or later. The United Methodist Church’s General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) warned congregations that the flaws could let hackers take over church websites.

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VIOLENT CRIME

More Than 25 Rounds Fired Outside a Church as a Rented Party Lets Out: Manassas, Virginia

At about 11:12 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2026, gunfire broke out at Bull Run Unitarian Universalists at Church and Main streets in Old Town Manassas. The church had rented its basement to an outside group for a private party of about 150 to 200 people, ranging from teenagers to about 30 years old. After a confrontation inside, five people left, pulled guns and fired, with rounds going into the air and striking a light post, the front of the church and a parked vehicle. Police recovered more than 25 casings from more than one gun, and no one was hurt. A church staff member was present, the church is providing video, and Manassas City Police have made no arrests.

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Man Shot After a Funeral at a Church: Baltimore, Maryland

A 25-year-old man was shot in the stomach at about 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2026 after attending a funeral at Open Bible Church in the 3200 block of West Overlea Avenue in northeast Baltimore. The family had rented the church for the service. Pastor Kevin English said he was told the shooting followed an altercation among people who attended. Family members say the man went into surgery. Baltimore Police Northeast District detectives are investigating, and no suspect has been named.

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Homicide Suspect Dies After an Armed Standoff Inside a Historic Church: Round Top, Texas

Djone Renoir Reeves, 56, of Houston, a person of interest in the killing of antiques dealer Arik Lerner, 59, barricaded himself inside St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Warrenton near Round Top on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Lerner had been found shot to death in a driveway on State Highway 237 on Thursday, October 22, and the two men knew each other. A rideshare driver says Reeves held him at gunpoint and forced him to drive from Houston to the church, then let him go unhurt. After several hours of negotiation with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Rangers and a regional special response team, Reeves died by suicide inside the church. No congregants were reported inside, and the motive in Lerner’s killing is unknown.

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Death Investigation at a Lutheran Church After a Mental Health Call: Port Charlotte, Florida

Charlotte County Sheriff’s deputies and North Port police responded to Living Waters Lutheran Church near the North Port and Charlotte County line on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. Deputies put caution tape around part of the church and closed parts of Galilee Street and Lindhurst Street near Chancellor Boulevard, and a forensic van arrived at the scene. North Port police said the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation. The sheriff’s office later said its Major Crimes Unit is investigating a death that followed a mental health-related call on Chancellor Boulevard. The sheriff’s office has not identified the person who died or said how the death occurred, and it says it will release no further information.

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SEX CRIMES

Church Usher and Registered Sex Offender Charged With Raping a Girl in the Church Basement: Milford, Massachusetts

Raul Feliciano, 63, of Worcester, an usher at a church on Exchange Street, was arrested on Friday, October 23, 2026 on charges of rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. Prosecutors say that about two years ago he asked the girl’s mother to let the girl, then about 13, help him carry water to a basement storage area of the church, where he assaulted her. The case was reported to police around September 9. Feliciano is a Level 2 registered sex offender with a 1993 rape conviction and a 2001 conviction for indecent assault on a child under 14, and he was once on the state’s list of the 10 most wanted sex offenders. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Milford District Court on Monday, October 26, and reports differ on whether he is held without bail.

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Pastor and His Security Officer Charged in Abuse of Two Boys Over 13 Years: Lawton, Oklahoma

“Apostle” James Lamont Newton, 53, of Cache, founder and pastor of Another Chance Outreach Ministries in Lawton, faces 15 felonies: five counts each of first-degree rape by force or fear, lewd acts with a child under 16, and sodomy by force or fear. The alleged victims are two boys, and the abuse is alleged to have run from 2010 to 2023; one accuser, now 28, says it began when he was 12. Jimmy Lamont Butler, 52, of Cache, described as Newton’s assistant and security officer, is charged as an accessory and is accused of driving the boys to Newton and blocking the door. Lawton Police served a search warrant on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, and both men appeared in Comanche County court that Friday. Newton’s bond is $5 million cash and Butler’s is $250,000, and a 1999 lewd molestation charge against Newton was dismissed after the allegations were recanted.

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Calvary Chapel Founding Pastor Jailed on Child Sexual Assault Charges: Montrose, Colorado

Benjamin “Ben” Garate, 72, founder and senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Montrose, was arrested on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 and held in the Montrose County jail on $60,000 bond. He is charged with one felony count of sexual assault, two felony counts of sexual offense and one misdemeanor count of child abuse. The victim is a young girl, and the abuse allegedly happened in 2020 and 2021 at his home and in his vehicle. According to the arrest affidavit, he told investigators he put the girl on his lap for sexual gratification. The church board removed him the week of his arrest.

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Former Youth Pastor Arrested on Sexual Conduct With a Minor Charge: Kingman, Arizona

Kingman Police arrested Richard Scott Felton, 57, at a business on Industrial Boulevard on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 on one felony count of sexual conduct with a minor. Felton is a former youth pastor and administrator at Kingman First Southern Baptist Church, and one local outlet reports the victim is a young member of that congregation. Police say the victim was an 8-year-old girl and that the abuse happened several times one to two years ago at a residence on East Hualapai Mountain Road. The investigation began on September 3. He was booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention Facility.

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Church After-School Worker Charged After Touching and Texting a Boy: Richland County, South Carolina

Zachary Turnage, 34, who worked in the after-school program at Trinity Church on Hallbrook Drive in Lower Richland, is charged with second-degree assault and battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department says he touched a boy between 7 and 12 years old at the church and sent him inappropriate texts and images. Deputies began investigating on August 28 and arrested him after a traffic stop on Saturday, October 10, 2026. He posted $8,000 bond on October 13 with orders to have no contact with the victim and to stay away from the church. The sheriff is asking parents to talk with their children and asking any other victims to come forward.

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Christian School Teacher Charged With Photographing Up a Student’s Skirt at Recess: Ocala, Florida

Ocala Police arrested Joel Gould, 34, a fifth-grade teacher at Ocala Christian Academy, on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 on a charge of digital voyeurism. Police say a witness saw him photograph up a girl’s skirt while she stood on a picnic table during recess on school grounds the previous Friday. Police say he admitted it. He was booked into the Marion County Jail with no bond. Investigators believe there may be more victims and ask anyone with information to call 352-369-7000.

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ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES

Overnight Fire Set at a Baptist Church: Kansas City, Missouri

The Kansas City Fire Department responded to a fire at St. Stephen Baptist Church on East Truman Road at about 1:51 a.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Local coverage reports the fire was set from outside and damaged one room, the church’s history room, with repairs that could pass $100,000. The rest of the building remains usable, and no one was hurt. No suspect has been identified. Days later and less than three miles away, thieves broke into St. John’s Anglican Church on Kensington Avenue and took crosses, candlesticks, a 100-year-old chalice and a metal figure of Jesus.

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VEHICLE COLLISIONS

Truck Backs Into a Church During Sunday Worship: Raytown, Missouri

At about 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, October 25, 2026, a white Ford F-150 backed into Word of Grace Fellowship near East Missouri Highway 350 and Westridge Road while the service was underway and being livestreamed. A 44-year-old woman was seriously injured and taken to a hospital in Independence, and the church says she had surgery. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating. The driver has not been identified, and no charges or cause have been reported.

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Vehicle Hits a Church After a Downtown Crash: Meridian, Idaho

At about 7:24 a.m. on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, a vehicle involved in a two-vehicle crash near Main Street and East Idaho Avenue left the road and struck Harvest Church at Main Street and Pine Avenue. The church was empty at the time. One driver asked to be taken to a hospital, and no serious injuries were reported. Meridian Fire inspected the building and found minor damage, and Meridian Police investigated.

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INTERNATIONAL

At Least 60 Orthodox Christians Killed in Two Village Attacks: Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church says at least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed in two attacks in Arsi Zone in central Oromia. On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 14 people were killed in Gora Silingo in Merti district. On the night of Saturday, October 24 into Sunday, October 25, attackers went house to house with guns and knives in the villages of Tereta, Chole and Birbo in Shirka district and killed 46. More than 20 people were seriously injured and about 20 homes were burned, and churches nearby sheltered families who fled. No group has claimed the attacks; local officials blame a new rebel alliance that includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which denies attacking civilians.

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Gunmen Kidnap a Pastor Days After a Church Member Was Freed: Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Gunmen kidnapped Rev. Monday Habu, presiding pastor of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC) in Gudi Ginda, Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area, early on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. About three days earlier, church member Daniel Philip Affiku had been released by kidnappers. The ERCC says the Akwanga to Gudi road and the surrounding rural communities are unsafe and called on the state government to act. Police have not confirmed the abduction, and no ransom demand has been reported.

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25 Shots Fired at a Church, Armed Standoff…