Intelligence and Crime Update 3/18/26
INTELLIGENCE
U.S. Intelligence Community Formally Names Churches and Synagogues as IS Priority Targets
The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, released this week by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, formally identifies churches, synagogues, and community religious events as priority targets for Islamic State-inspired actors. The assessment concludes that IS propaganda exploiting the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has produced a documented increase in calls for attacks against religious and political symbols, with radicalized individuals framing this violence as a righteous response to perceived grievances against Muslims. This is the U.S. government’s highest-level annual threat document, and it names your congregation’s building as a category of target. The threat does not require a direct operational order from IS leadership — it requires only a radicalized individual with a grievance and an open door.
🛡️ My thoughts: It’s nice to see the US government catching up to what we have been reporting. You cannot trust the government to come save you. Please train like you are your only resource.
Iran Threatens Attacks on Parks, Public Gatherings, and Tourist Destinations Worldwide — Including U.S. Soft Targets
Iran’s top military spokesperson Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi explicitly warned this week that “parks, recreational areas, and tourist destinations” worldwide would not be safe for Iran’s enemies, and U.S. intelligence has separately warned of active Iranian sleeper cells and lone offenders operating inside the United States. A new Iran-linked terror organization, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, claimed responsibility this month for a series of bombings and arson attacks against Jewish institutions in Belgium, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam, confirming that the threat is already moving off the drawing board in Europe. Analysts assessing Iran’s degrading conventional military capability note that as centralized command fractures, proxy and lone-actor operations against soft civilian targets become more likely, not less, precisely because they require no direction from Tehran. Churches gathering on predictable schedules, with open doors and public-facing event calendars, fit the definition of a soft target.
🛡️ My thoughts: Baptisms in the Park and Rivers as well as other public services need to be staffed with adequate security. Remember the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia? That is your history lesson of how they will carry it out. That is your blueprint.
16-Year-Old Arrested in UK with Homemade Explosives, Suicide Vest, and Stockpiled Weapons
A 16-year-old was charged in Didcot, England after police discovered a significant weapons cache in his home including homemade explosives, a suicide vest, and stockpiled firearms while he was actively disseminating IS propaganda online. The arrest confirms what the DNI testified to Congress this same week — that the radicalization pipeline from online content to operational attack planning is now moving through minors, and moving fast. The individual had no prior criminal record and no apparent connection to a foreign IS cell. He built the capability himself from online instruction. Your congregation’s children and teenagers are on the same platforms this boy was using.
🛡️ My thoughts
Two Men Charged with Conducting Iranian Surveillance of Jewish Targets in London — London, England
Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, a dual British-Iranian national of North Finchley, and Alireza Farasati, 22, an Iranian national of Edgware, have been charged under the United Kingdom’s National Security Act with engaging in contact likely to assist Iranian intelligence services. The charges cover activity between July 9 and August 15, 2025, and the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the charges relate specifically to reconnaissance of targets linked to London’s Jewish community. Counter Terrorism Policing London’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans described the charges as extremely serious and stated that police will be relentless in pursuing anyone threatening public safety, specifically acknowledging the concern within the Jewish community. The case is the latest in a documented pattern of Iranian intelligence operations targeting Jewish institutions on British soil, following MI5’s disclosure that it disrupted more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots in the year prior to October 2025.
🛡️ My thoughts: This can easily be happening here in the U.S. We must follow these incidents so that we can watch for the same here.
Cartels Now Deploying Weaponized Commercial Drones — A Blueprint Church Security Teams Need to Understand
The CJNG’s elite Grupo Delta unit has weaponized commercially available DJI Air 3S drones by attaching aftermarket drop mechanisms to deliver improvised explosive devices, a capability confirmed in active use in Michoacán this week and already crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
🛡️ My thoughts: Church security teams need to understand this as a blueprint: a recreational drone, modified with an off-the-shelf drop mechanism and a small IED, can deliver a lethal payload into a crowded outdoor gathering with no warning and no shooter to identify. Open-air church events, outdoor baptisms, parking lots during peak service times, and church camps are environments where this threat applies directly, and teams should begin factoring drone surveillance and overhead awareness into their security planning now.
IS Running Structured Three-Step Radicalization Model Targeting College Students and Minors
Security agencies in India dismantled a multi-state IS recruitment network this week that was specifically targeting college students and minors using a documented three-phase model: Connect, using fake social media profiles with religious or motivational content; Influence, gradually introducing extremist ideology; and Engage, moving targets to encrypted platforms like Session and Discord for operational instruction. The 19-year-old arrested as the network’s operator was a dental student with no prior extremist record. This model is not unique to India — Spanish authorities re-arrested a convicted IS recruiter the same week who had resumed targeting young women and minors online within weeks of his prison release. The pipeline from congregation member’s child to radicalized actor is now documented, systematic, and operating on platforms your families use every day.
Russian Intelligence Conducting Global Phishing Campaign Targeting Signal and Messaging Apps
The FBI and CISA issued a joint public service announcement warning that Russian Intelligence Services are actively targeting high-value individuals through commercial messaging applications including Signal. The campaign uses social engineering to trick victims into providing verification codes or PINs, allowing attackers to access accounts without breaking the app’s encryption. Church security team leaders, pastors, and anyone with a public-facing ministry profile should be aware that this campaign targets government officials, military personnel, and journalists — categories that increasingly include prominent church security figures and ministry leaders. Update Signal and all messaging apps immediately and never share a verification code with anyone regardless of who appears to be asking.
🛡️ My thoughts: SIGNAL is not compromised, it’s the end user giving up their info. However, Telegram is compromised and church security team members should NOT be using it for communications.
Iran Suspected of Creating Bogus Terror Group to Claim Antisemitic Attacks Across Europe
A previously unknown organization calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya emerged in early March 2026, days after the U.S. and Israel launched military operations against Iran. Since then it has claimed responsibility for attacks against Jewish institutions across Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, including a synagogue bombing in Liège, explosions at a synagogue in Rotterdam and a Jewish school in Amsterdam, an arson that destroyed four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer organization Hatzola in London’s Golders Green neighborhood, a thwarted attack on a Chabad school in the Netherlands, and a vehicle burning in the Jewish quarter of Antwerp. European security officials and counterterrorism analysts assess the group is almost certainly a front organization rather than a genuine independent network. Its Telegram channel was created only days before its first claimed attack, its Arabic name contains a spelling error, and it has claimed responsibility for at least one attack for which no evidence exists. All suspects arrested so far are teenagers or young adults, consistent with Iranian tactics of recruiting and paying local operatives who may not know who is directing them. Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister stated that Tehran is deploying local cells to terrorize Jewish communities across Europe, and MI5 has confirmed it disrupted more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots on British soil in the year prior to October 2025.
VIOLENT CRIME
Double Shooting Outside Church During Funeral Service — Indianapolis, Indiana
Two men were shot outside Antioch Baptist Church at 704 East 32nd Street in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 21, during a funeral service. One man died and a second was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. Police said a disturbance occurred outside the building that led to the shooting. No suspects had been taken into custody as of initial reporting.
🛡️ My thoughts: When you have a funeral, please check to see if the person had gang or crime ties. If they do, you must post extra security. Rivals will know the gang is gathered at your church for the funeral and may shoot it up in retaliation.
Man Barricades Himself Inside Pastor’s Office During Burglary — Ventura, California
A church employee at a congregation in the 6000 block of Telephone Road in Ventura recognized Carlos Ochoa, 28, on church property — the same man she had arrested weeks earlier for prowling and trespassing at the same location. Ochoa had returned and this time barricaded himself inside the pastor’s office. Officers established a perimeter and he was taken into custody and booked into Ventura County Jail on burglary charges. The case illustrates the importance of maintaining records on prior trespass incidents and ensuring staff are empowered to act on repeat offenders.
Chicago Man Charged with Threatening to Shoot Up Jewish Synagogue — Chicago, Illinois
Timothy Holmes, 31, of Chicago, was arrested in Florida and charged in federal court with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person after publicly posting on X on March 3, 2026, “I’m going to shoot up a synagogue.” The post was made in direct reply to the Israeli government’s official X account, @Israel, in the context of news about the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Holmes posted the threat using his account @MapleStCapital. The FBI National Threat Operation Section received information on the post and investigation revealed additional threatening communications from the same account, including a series of derisive posts targeting Jewish people and the publication of a purported U.S. address belonging to relatives of an Israeli government official.
🛡️ My thoughts: Treat all threats as real. If someone is telling you that they are going to do something, you need to prove that they are not. Unless you can prove they can’t or won’t, you must act on the information they are giving you.
Man Charged After Threatening Church Official and Family During Disruption — Versailles, Missouri
A Versailles, Missouri man was charged after causing a disturbance at a congregation and making statements that were taken as threats against a church official, the official’s family, and the official’s son. The case is being prosecuted under Missouri’s statute for disrupting a house of worship.
Man Spits in Security Guard’s Face, Vandalizes Church Sign — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
A 24-year-old man was arrested after causing a disturbance inside a Fort Lauderdale church, vandalizing a sign on the exterior of the building, and spitting directly in the face of a security guard. He faces charges in connection with all three incidents.
🛡️ My thoughts; Spitting has very serious consequences. Many of these people have communicable diseases that can be very harmful to your health. You may defend yourself to prevent yourself from being spat upon. Please take my Use of Force course to learn more.
Woman Threatens Easter Mass Shooting at Black Church — Clearwater, Florida
A 70-year-old Clearwater woman was arrested after threatening that a white supremacy group would shoot up a Black congregation in St. Petersburg on Easter Sunday. She sent threatening messages to the pastor that escalated from hateful social media posts to direct threats of violence against him and his congregation. Source
Deacon Beaten Nearly to Death After Intervening in Assault Outside Church — Cleveland, Ohio
Deacon Ronald Kisner, 77, chairman of the Deacon Ministry at Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood, is in the ICU trauma unit at University Hospital after being beaten nearly to death on Sunday afternoon following services. Witnesses say two men reportedly under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs were harassing women who were delivering supplies to the congregation when Kisner stepped in to intervene and defuse the situation. The 33-year-old suspect turned on Kisner, pushed him into the church lobby, threw him down a flight of stairs, and continued beating him at the bottom before walking away. Family members found him lying in a pool of blood and initially believed he was dead. Kisner is currently communicating by writing from the ICU and faces multiple fractures, swelling to his optic nerve and face, and significant injuries to his shoulder, wrist, and back. He also has a history of kidney transplant, which complicates his recovery. A 33-year-old suspect was arrested nearby shortly after the attack.
🛡️ My thoughts: Every church should have a security plan. It would be nice to have someone assigned to security that is trained to handle these incidents. I admire the deacon for protecting people, but at 77 it should be left up to more able bodied people with training for this incident. We all have assignments from the Lord. I know I am not made to be on pastoral staff. But, I know the Lord wants me to be the warrior that is needed for these incidents. We all have a place.
Two Men Found Shot Dead in Church Parking Lot — Roanoke, Virginia
Church members arriving for Sunday morning service at Refreshing Church on Carroll Avenue NW in Roanoke discovered two men shot dead inside a parked car in the back parking lot. The victims were identified as Jeffrie Lamont Meadows, 37, of Wytheville, and Khireem Jerome Porter, 35, of Radford. Investigators determined they had been killed overnight. Court documents released March 25 identified Jamaal Edward Crump as the suspect, after detectives traced communications on a victim’s Apple watch showing the three arranged to meet in what documents describe as a drug transaction. Surveillance footage from a nearby apartment complex shows a man matching Crump’s description entering the victims’ SUV, then leaving carrying a black duffle bag that was not recovered at the scene. The vehicle then drove toward Refreshing Church. A search warrant executed at Crump’s property produced a firearm that matched shell casings from the scene. Crump was arrested on unrelated drug charges and is being held without bail while prosecutors prepare to present the homicide case to a grand jury.
More Details on the Two Men Found Shot Dead in Church Parking Lot — Roanoke, Virginia
Church members arriving for Sunday morning service at Refreshing Church on Carroll Avenue NW in Roanoke discovered two men shot dead inside a parked car in the back parking lot. The victims were identified as Jeffrie Lamont Meadows, 37, of Wytheville, and Khireem Jerome Porter, 35, of Radford. Investigators determined they had been killed overnight. Court documents released March 25 identified Jamaal Edward Crump as the suspect, after detectives traced communications on a victim’s Apple watch showing the three arranged to meet in what documents describe as a drug transaction. Surveillance footage from a nearby apartment complex shows a man matching Crump’s description entering the victims’ SUV, then leaving carrying a black duffle bag that was not recovered at the scene. The vehicle then drove toward Refreshing Church. A search warrant executed at Crump’s property produced a firearm that matched shell casings from the scene. Crump was arrested on unrelated drug charges and is being held without bail while prosecutors prepare to present the homicide case to a grand jury.
🛡️ My thoughts: I’ve bought so much drugs in church parking lots. People feel safe there, they don’t expect a confrontation and they can monitor entrances and exits. Churches are a natural draw point for criminal activity. You need cameras that are 4k monitoring entrances and exits. Good enough and well placed that it can capture license plates and faces of people coming and going.
SEXUAL ASSAULT
Church Choir Director Charged with Sexual Abuse of 14-Year-Old Girl — Nassau County, New York
A church choir director identified as Selvin Bonilla Navarrete has been charged with sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl, according to Nassau County police. The case was reported Saturday, March 22, 2026.
Former Tejano Singer and Pastor Alex Montez Arrested on Sexual Assault Charge — Texas
Alex Montez, a former Tejano recording artist who had been serving as a pastor, was arrested and charged with sexual assault. According to a source close to the congregation, Montez was suspended from the pulpit on July 12, 2025, following an internal review after sexual assault allegations surfaced. The arrest and formal charge followed in March 2026. No additional details on the victim or specific congregation were available in the initial report.
Pastor Arrested on Six Felony Rape Counts Involving Child Under 11 — Albany, New York
Bienvenido Lopez, 75, pastor of Iglesia Fuente Inagotable on Herkimer Street in Albany, was arrested March 19 and charged with six counts of first-degree rape. According to investigators, Lopez is accused of raping a child under the age of 11 on three separate occasions between 1998 and 2000 at his home. He has worked at multiple local congregations over the years. Lopez pleaded not guilty and was released after posting bail. Detectives from the Albany Police Department’s Children and Family Service Unit are actively working to identify additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to call (518) 447-8780.
🛡️ My thoughts: There will be multiple victims from this guys’ time in clergy. Go find those victims. One victim can turn from the church and convince many others to not turn to Christ. This is our burden to bear and we must take it seriously.
Church Nursery Supervisor Faces 25 Counts of Child Sexual Assault — Colorado
A nursery supervisor identified as Chacon was arrested and faces 25 counts of sexual assault on a child, position of trust, with a pattern of abuse. Source
🛡️ My thoughts: This is horrible. Good background checks and solid policy with a two adult rule prevents these crimes.
Okmulgee City Council Member Arrested on Child Abuse Charge Tied to Church Youth Meeting — Okmulgee, Oklahoma
An Okmulgee city council member was arrested on a child abuse charge connected to a church youth meeting that occurred November 24, 2025. Source
Shawnee Church Sex Abuse Victims Speak Out on Leaders’ Inaction — Shawnee, Oklahoma
Victims of sex abuse at a Shawnee congregation went public this week, alleging church leadership failed to act on reports of abuse. Source
🛡️ My thoughts: Most sexual assaults go unreported, especially if it is a male victim. Look at who the alleged perpetrators are and see if they have ever been at your church. If they have, then you need to do an internal investigation to determine if you have victims in your congregation.
ARSON
Man Arrested for Arson at Church — Ellensburg, Washington
A man was arrested and booked into Kittitas County Corrections Center on suspicion of first-degree arson after allegedly setting fire to a church overnight Saturday in Ellensburg, Washington. No injuries were reported. Source
INTERNATIONAL
China Intensifying Persecution of Christians in Underground Congregations — Beijing, China
The Chinese government has arrested 18 members of Zion Church, an unregistered congregation, and is holding them in a detention center in southern China as the first step toward prosecution and potential three-year prison sentences. China has also revoked the law license of attorney Zhang Kai and suspended or verbally warned several other lawyers who attempted to provide legal assistance to the arrested church members. Zion Church’s pastor, Jin Mingri, a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary in California who came to faith following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and has led China’s house church movement, is among those detained. His daughter Grace Jin, now in the United States, testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China that Chinese government agents have followed her in Washington and that her mother was contacted by someone impersonating a U.S. federal agent. A coalition of experts testified before Congress that China’s persecution of Christians should be treated as a national security threat to the United States, with former Kansas Governor and ambassador-at-large Sam Brownback stating that China’s government fears religious freedom more than American military power, citing an estimated 90 million Christians in China — a number roughly equal to the entire Chinese Communist Party membership.
🛡️ My thoughts: We need to continue to monitor persecution in China and help Christians there when and where we can.
Armed Bandits Abduct Eight Worshippers During Sunday Service — Kwara State, Nigeria
Gunmen stormed the Evangelical Church Winning All in Omugo community during Sunday service, shooting sporadically to scatter the congregation before abducting eight worshippers. Three managed to escape captivity and five remained held as of initial reporting. A local official confirmed this is the third attack by armed bandits on the Omugo community. A Nigerian archbishop stated this week that “Christianity is being eradicated” in Nigeria, noting that 2,830 Christians were kidnapped in 2024 alone.
🛡️ My thoughts
SPECIAL ALERT NYC
Two Catholic Churches Vandalized as Hate Crimes Days Before Holy Week — Queens, New York
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating two separate hate crime incidents at Catholic churches in Queens in the two weeks leading up to Holy Week. On March 14, an unknown individual approached the Statue of the Blessed Mother in front of St. Gertrude’s Roman Catholic Church in Far Rockaway after 8 p.m., knocked it over, and smashed it to pieces. The Diocese of Brooklyn confirmed it was the third attack on the statue in less than six months and that the 100-year-old statue is now considered irreparable — the parish will have to replace it. A week later, on March 21 at approximately 6:30 a.m., a suspect spray-painted the statue of St. Francis of Assisi in front of St. Rita’s Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City with blue paint, scrawled the word “PAGAN” on the pedestal and the sidewalk, then fled toward Vernon Boulevard. Surveillance footage captured the attack. It was the third act of religious vandalism at St. Rita’s in two years. No arrests have been made in either case and both investigations remain open.
🛡️ My thoughts: Crimes like this are skyrocketing across NYC. It is past just being noticeable. The main targets are Catholic churches.
Well Done Keith
Was "Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia" or "Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya" mentioned in two separate sections? Once it was credited with an attack and suggested that it was a threat already moving off the drawing board in Europe, while the other section suggested it was fake and took credit for attacks. If it's the same organization still trying to figure out how to spell their name, do you get the impression it's real or not?
I also recognize the relevance to my question of the advice in another section to treat threats as real unless they can be proven as impossible or otherwise false.