A Vatican Terror Plot and a Church Shooting in New Mexico: What Safety Teams Should Notice
An ISIS-inspired plot against the Vatican and gunfire at a Catholic church in New Mexico show why safety teams need to watch both overseas terror trends and local warning signs.
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Terrorism/Intelligence
ISIS-Inspired Plot Against the Vatican Disrupted in Florence, Italy
On Tuesday, May 20, 2026, Italy’s state police arrested a teenager in Florence, Italy, on terrorism charges, saying he had declared himself ready to act and had received instructions from ISIS-linked contacts online on how to select a target for an attack. According to the police statement, the suspect planned to strike sites in Florence and the Vatican. He had been arrested on similar charges in October 2025, held in a residential facility, and released on probation in March 2026, but authorities said he resumed contact with ISIS members on social media shortly after his release, which led to the new arrest. He was remanded into custody and the investigation remained open. Out of an editorial practice of not naming attackers, and because the suspect is a minor, he is identified here only by the plot and the group he supported. The Jerusalem Post
🛡️ My thoughts: This is the model on how they will hit your church. Study it. ISIS has learned how to weaponize lone actors online and they are runnig with it.
Islamic State Burns Historic Catholic Church in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique
On Thursday, April 30, 2026, Islamic State-linked insurgents attacked the village of Meza in the Ancuabe district of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, and destroyed the historic St. Louis de Montfort parish, which had stood since 1946. According to Aid to the Church in Need, the militants arrived around 4 p.m., set the church, the parish offices, and the missionaries’ residence ablaze, and vandalized a church-run kindergarten. The missionaries serving the parish had been warned in time and were not present, but the bishop of Pemba said civilians were captured and forced to listen to the attackers’ speeches. Islamic State-Mozambique claimed responsibility on May 1. Church officials report the group has destroyed more than 100 churches and chapels in the Diocese of Pemba since the insurgency began in 2017, including 18 burned in the Chiúre district in 2024.
🛡️ My thoughts: Mozambique is becoming a hotspot for ISIS activity. We have many Christian missionaries there. Please keep an eye on this area if you are supporting people there or are going there.
Cartel Drone Attacks Displace 1,000 Families in Guerrero, Mexico
Beginning Wednesday, May 6, 2026, the criminal group Los Ardillos attacked Nahua indigenous communities in the Montaña Baja region of Guerrero, Mexico, dropping improvised explosives from drones alongside high-caliber weapons. By the weekend of May 9 and 10, community and human rights groups reported that between 800 and 1,000 families had fled the communities of Tula, Xicotlán, Acahuetlán, and Alcozacán, with at least one person injured and several killed. Responders documented unexploded drone-dropped devices in the brush, and displaced families sheltered in nearby towns and in local churches as the explosive drone attacks continued against Alcozacán. Separately, at the Border Security Expo in Arizona this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials warned that cartels have rapidly advanced their drone capabilities, fielding fiber-optic and GPS-guided systems and modifying store-bought drones to evade detection and carry heavier payloads. A CBP counter-drone official said the technology once seen overseas is now at the homeland.
🛡️ My thoughts: For years the weaponized drone was an overseas story, something we watched in Ukraine and the Middle East, and now it has moved into our hemisphere, with explosives dropped on civilians a few hundred miles south of our border and the same fiber-optic and GPS-guided systems already crossing into the United States. We have been warning that a drone is a credible threat to a church, and the exposure is highest during an outdoor service, a baptism, a festival, or any large gathering where people stand together in the open. These incidents are worth studying as a preview, because they show how the device is built, how little warning it gives, and how a determined attacker would use it against a crowd. Read them with your own campus in mind and start working the problem now: detection, your posture for open-air events, and who you would call. The recently signed SAFER SKIES Act lets trained state and local law enforcement counter drones over public gatherings, so build that relationship with your local department before the day you need it.
VIOLENT CRIME
Gunfire and a Recovered Incendiary Device at a Catholic Church in Las Cruces, New Mexico
About 4:30 a.m. on Monday, May 4, 2026, surveillance video from St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church at 100 S. Espina Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico, recorded a man stepping out of a dark sedan and firing a handgun at the church, leaving several bullet holes in the doors. The church was unoccupied and no one was injured. Investigators linked the vehicle to a May 11 attempted burglary at a Las Cruces gun store and identified Matthew Albian Alarcon, 40. A May 19 search of Alarcon’s home recovered an object containing components commonly used in an incendiary device, which a bomb squad collected. Alarcon was arrested May 14 and charged with desecration of a church, receiving a stolen firearm, tampering with evidence, possession of burglary tools, attempted non-residential burglary, and conspiracy; a second man, Juan Manuel Garcia, 36, was arrested May 17.
🛡️ My thoughts: Take incidents like this seriously. Ensure you get a restraining order, even though he is in custody. Monitor his case to see if he is released back into the community. Monitor his social media as well.
Wife Shot Dead in Winthrop, Massachusetts, Apartment Before Husband Left for Church
About 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 24, 2026, Sean Brewer, 58, called 911 from his apartment in Winthrop, Massachusetts, to report a shooting. Officers found his wife, Jacklyn Berry, 47, dead of a gunshot wound in the couple’s bedroom. Brewer told police he had been sweeping up at home before leaving for church when he found a jacket that was not his with a handgun in the pocket that he did not recognize. He said he confronted Berry about the gun in their bedroom and that the weapon “spontaneously” discharged. Investigators recovered a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson with one spent cartridge at the scene. Prosecutors said Brewer has a lengthy criminal record including convictions for violent crimes and a pending case for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest. He was charged with manslaughter and was held without bail.
🛡️ My thoughts: I included this story for one simple reason: Domestic violence is a leading indicator as an underlying issue in church mass shootings. What if he had decided to do this at church in just a few hours? Please, have a plan and watch those couples that may be having issues. Help them when they need it and stay involved in their lives.
Suspicious Package at a Missionary Baptist Church near Creedmoor, North Carolina
On Saturday, May 23, 2026, the Granville County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a suspicious package at Rock Spring Missionary Baptist Church at 3180 Bruce Garner Road, about five miles southeast of Creedmoor, North Carolina. Church staff told deputies that someone had left a package on the front porch, and that workers had carried the package inside the building before law enforcement arrived. A bomb squad and a hazmat team responded along with county fire agencies and deputies to assess the scene and secure the area. The placement of the package remained under investigation. No injuries were reported.
🛡️ My thoughts: Please don’t move or handle a suspicious package. I’ve had many instances where people found a bomb and still moved it to another location. Please don’t do that.
Man Removed From a Mosque in Lakeville, Minnesota
Shortly before noon on Friday, May 22, 2026, Lakeville police responded to a disturbance outside Lakeville Masjid, a mosque at 8670 210th Street West in Lakeville, Minnesota. A caller reported that a man was agitated and asking strange questions, and staff asked officers to remove him from the property. During the arrest, officers found a pocketknife, a box cutter, and suspected narcotics in his possession. Police said the man, a local resident known to officers from prior mental-health-related contacts, claimed to be a military officer and then a federal agent investigating child trafficking, and could not provide documentation. The department said no weapons were displayed during the incident and that it had no information the man targeted the mosque for religious reasons.
🛡️ My thoughts: Although this is CHRISTIAN Warrior Training, we still look at incidents in other religions since it also happens to us. We should look at these incidents and think about how we would react in a similar situation. We should create scenarios based on these incidents to help train our security and pastoral staff.
Mob Forces Entry and Injures Employee at Church of Scientology in New York City
About 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, 2026, a group of roughly 31 people forced its way through a locked side door at the Church of Scientology of New York, at 227 West 46th Street in Midtown Manhattan, during a seminar. The intruders ran through the building, caused about $10,000 in property damage, and kicked a 30-year-old male employee in the leg, leaving him with minor injuries. NYPD linked the incident to a series of similar break-ins at the Midtown location and at two Scientology buildings in Harlem and tied them to a viral TikTok trend known as “speedrunning.” Between Sunday, May 24, and Tuesday, May 26, police arrested three suspects identified as Jaelen Dinkins, 19, Mohammed Amolegbe, 21, and Tashaun Simms, 28. Dinkins and Amolegbe were charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and assault, all as hate crimes because the target was a religious institution. Simms was charged with obstructing governmental administration and tampering with physical evidence as a hate crime.
🛡️ My thoughts: I know Scientology is a farce and we hope they find Christ. But…. we need to be paying attention to this. Some churches that have denied entry points can be the next victim of a surge like this. Mormons, I’m thinking these are the people that would go to one of your temples to do a mass takeover.
SEX CRIMES
Former Youth Pastor Arrested for Child Molestation and Voyeurism in Renton, Washington
On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Renton Police Department detectives arrested Derek Nelson, a former youth pastor at Highlands Community Church in Renton, Washington, on suspicion of second-degree child molestation and first-degree voyeurism. According to police, the alleged offenses occurred during church functions. Investigators are working to identify any additional victims and have asked anyone with information to contact the Renton Police Department.
🛡️ My thoughts: There might be other victims. Churches that had this man working for them should conduct an investigation to uncover any possible child victims at their church.
Fort Worth Pastor Indicted on Sexual Assault and Child Enticement Charges in Texas
A Fort Worth pastor was indicted on charges of sexual assault and child enticement, according to reporting the week of May 25, 2026. Alonzo Diego Fuller Jr. has been held in the Tarrant County jail since May 5 with no bond set. The indictment charges him with sexual assault involving a victim alleged to be younger than 18, and with enticing or luring a child younger than 18 into sexual activity. Before his arrest, the church’s elders released a statement saying the pastor welcomed an investigation and intended to clear his name. When he addressed his congregation about the initial arrest, he attributed the allegations to the devil.
🛡️ My thoughts: The church should try and obtain a copy of the arrest report to look at the validity of the pastor’s claim. If it is valid, he should be removed from the staff and the church should look for additional victims within the church.
Former LDS Bishop Charged With a Decade of Child Sexual Abuse in Livermore, California
The Alameda County District Attorney announced on Thursday, May 21, 2026, that Michael Delar Morris, 76, was arraigned on 18 felony counts of child sexual abuse involving four victims. Prosecutors say the offenses occurred between 1991 and 2001, while Morris served as a bishop of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation in Livermore, California, and supervised a church-affiliated boys’ youth group. He also served as a Boy Scout leader. The complaint alleges the abuse occurred at the church on Hillcrest Avenue, at Morris’s home, in his vehicle, and at victims’ homes, with special allegations for abuse of a position of trust, targeting vulnerable victims, and planning. Morris was arrested May 15 and later posted $920,000 bail.
🛡️ My thoughts: Your pastor is more likely to molest a child than for you to have an active shooter at your church. You should train to stop these threats from our pastoral staff. Learn to recognize the signs of grooming: an adult who singles out one child for special attention, gives gifts, and keeps finding reasons to be alone with a young person. Recognizing that pattern early is how you stop it.
ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES
Arson and Break-In at a Catholic School in Springfield, Missouri
A man charged in a May 22, 2026 fire at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Springfield, Missouri, told investigators he set the fire because he objected to a church being connected to the school, according to charging documents reported the week of May 25. Springfield police responded around 5 a.m. on Friday, May 22, after an officer heard the fire alarm, and found signs of forced entry and smoke; sprinklers had extinguished the fires. Isaac Cass, 23, of Neosho, was charged with second-degree arson and second-degree burglary. Investigators say he broke a window to get inside, set fires at a banner near an entrance and in the teacher’s lounge, and damaged a picture of Jesus and three statues of Mary. Prosecutors asked that he be held without bond, describing his conduct as unpredictable.
🛡️ My thoughts: this is your weekly reminder that you need a 4k video system, a fire alarm and a burglar alarm. It is the single best way to secure your church.
Historic AME Church Defaced With Racist Slurs and Demonic Imagery in Ocala, Florida
On the night of Saturday, May 16, 2026, an accidental electrical fire heavily damaged the 134-year-old St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church at 1304 Northwest 7th Avenue in Ocala, Florida, and left the sanctuary structurally condemned. Between the fire and Tuesday, May 19, an intruder broke into the condemned building and covered the interior and exterior with racist white-supremacist slurs and drawings of death faces with demon horns. Phrases including “Peckerwood was here” and “Peckerwood Will Lick” were scrawled inside the sanctuary, on the marquee sign, and on multiple structures. “Peckerwood” is a white-supremacist term used in prison. The Ocala Police Department is investigating the break-in and vandalism as a hate crime, and the FBI is involved. No suspects have been identified as of publication.
INTERNATIONAL
Gunmen Kill Three and Abduct 15 at a Church Night Vigil in Kwara State, Nigeria
On Saturday, May 23, 2026, at about 8:30 p.m., armed men invaded a church night vigil at Ori-Oke Ajaiye, on the outskirts of Ikiran village in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria. The attackers fired into the prayer ground, killed three worshippers, and abducted 15 others before escaping through nearby forest routes. The pastor of the congregation, Ijo Ajaye Ati Igbala, reported the attack to the Kwara State Police Command the next day. Police launched a tactical operation, including a drone team, to locate the abducted worshippers. Local officials later ordered an indefinite suspension of night vigils at rural worship centers in the area.
🛡️ My thoughts: Look at that last sentence: the government suspended church service. Continue to worship, just be smart about posting guards and protecting your people.
Nehemiah 4:9
Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Hostage Crisis Follows the Killing of Three Pastors in Manipur, India
A hostage crisis in India’s Manipur state continued into the week of May 25, 2026, weeks after three Baptist pastors and their driver were ambushed and killed on May 13. The pastors, members of the Thadou Baptist Association India, were returning from a United Baptist Convention gathering in Churachandpur to Kangpokpi when roughly 10 armed men opened fire on their two vehicles, also wounding several others. The killings set off retaliatory abductions between Kuki-Zo and Naga groups, both predominantly Christian communities, with dozens of civilians taken hostage across several districts. About 30 hostages were released by mid-May, but roughly 20 people remained unaccounted for as federal authorities investigated. Both communities have been caught in wider ethnic violence in Manipur since 2023.
“Peckerwood” is a white-supremacist term used in prison"
"Peckerwood has always been a derogatory term for whites used by blacks.