Drone Threat Inches Closer, Another Camera Found in Church Bathroom
A foiled drone-and-sniper plot tied to a Nebraska church, mounting World Cup security concerns, and a week of arson, assault, and abuse cases across American congregations.
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TERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE
Foiled Plot to Attack UFC Event on White House Grounds — Link to Nebraska Church
Federal prosecutors charged five men this week in an alleged plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House South Lawn on Sunday, June 14, 2026. According to the Justice Department, the group planned to fly explosive-laden drones over the venue to force a mass evacuation, then position snipers to fire on high value targets in the fleeing crowd. The FBI made arrests over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California and identified a broader encrypted network of roughly two dozen participants, all described as U.S. citizens with no foreign nexus. Prosecutors say the Omaha man they identify as the lead organizer used the handle “Shepherd” and designated an old church building in a small Nebraska village as the group’s post-attack fallback and regroup point. Investigators say the plot began to unravel after a suspect’s mother contacted police about her son’s recent conduct.
🛡️ My thoughts: This group has been profiled as “Christian extremists” in some reporting. Please keep an eye on this story as it develops. it does follow a Nihilistic type of pattern, so this could be a blueprint for future attacks against churches in the future.
FIFA World Cup Brings 78 Matches and Mass Crowds to 11 U.S. Cities — United States
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened June 11 and runs through July 19, with the United States hosting 78 of the tournament’s matches across 11 cities along with fan festivals and watch parties nationwide. Federal officials have said their top concern is a lone actor striking an event or crowd, since such attackers often plot undetected, and the FBI’s deputy director pointed specifically to homegrown extremists like the man who drove a truck into a New Orleans crowd in an ISIS-inspired attack. Security planners are focused on soft targets outside stadium perimeters, including hotels, transit hubs, team base camps, restaurants, and fan festivals, where crowds gather with lighter protection. Weaponized drones are another stated concern, and the government has trained counter-drone officers and funded anti-drone technology for the host cities. Several matches also fall on the July 4 weekend alongside the nation’s 250th anniversary events.
Weaponized Drones Against Crowds Move From the Battlefield Toward Domestic Soft Targets — United States
Small commercial drones, cheaply bought and easily modified, are a growing concern for attacks on crowds because they can be fitted with explosive or chemical payloads and flown over packed venues. State actors such as Russia and Iran and groups including Hezbollah, Kata’ib Hizballah, and ISIS have used weaponized drones in their wars abroad, and analysts describe the tactic as a wild card now migrating toward domestic soft targets. A handful of lone attackers in the United States have already attempted to use drones to deliver explosives, though none has succeeded and urban airspace is increasingly defended. The just-disrupted plot against the White House UFC event, which centered on explosive drones to force a crowd to flee, and repeated drone incursions over U.S. stadiums show the threat is no longer hypothetical. Because the small drones rely on radio frequencies, they can often be jammed, which is why counter-drone teams have become a fixture of major-event security planning.
🛡️ My thoughts: I have been warning you about this threat for some time. You need to wrap your head around the possibility drones will be used to attack a church in the near future. Right now, I can put an improvised explosive on a drone and fly it into the lobby of a church on Sunday. I can get away and no one will catch me. How many others have that knowledge? It is available online and ISIS/AQ has been telling lone wolves to do this exact thing. We have extensive articles on here about this subject. Just type “Drones” into the search bar on the main page to see them all.
FATAL INCIDENTS
Tent Collapses in Storm at Church Anniversary, One Dead and 22 Injured — Moneta, Virginia
A severe thunderstorm brought down a large event tent during EastLake Community Church’s 20th anniversary celebration on the evening of Friday, June 12, 2026, in Moneta. Bedford County officials say outflow winds caused the tent, which had been set up for roughly 1,500 people, to collapse around 6:40 p.m. as the outdoor service was getting underway. One member, 85-year-old Bob Stouffer, was killed, and 22 others were injured, with 11 taken to hospitals and 11 treated at the scene. The lead pastor said he was moving to dismiss the crowd to their cars when the structure failed within about five seconds. The National Weather Service logged dozens of wind-damage reports across the region that evening, and the collapse remains under investigation.
🛡️ My thoughts
VIOLENT CRIME
Armed Security Guard Assaulted at Church of the Nazarene — Nashville, Tennessee
On Sunday, June 14, 2026, an armed, uniformed security guard at Nashville First Church of the Nazarene on Woodland Street was struck several times in the face, according to Metro Nashville Police. The guard, Richard Pachura, reported that the man, later identified as Arthur Kyzar, had already been told to leave the neighboring Holy Name Church and was barred from its property. When Pachura saw Kyzar near the front entrance of the Church of the Nazarene and told him he would have to leave, Kyzar began yelling and disturbing others at the church before the assault. Kyzar was arrested and now faces a felony charge of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury. The incident involved two adjacent congregations on the same street.
SEX CRIMES
Man Charged After Hidden Camera Found Recording in Church Restroom — New Lenox, Illinois
On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, New Lenox police were called to Parkview Christian Church after a woman reported finding a cell phone concealed in a restroom that was actively recording her while she used the facility. Officers identified the man who had taken the phone back from the woman as Nicholas Calombaris, 28, of Frankfort, and recovered the device at the scene. During an interview, police say Calombaris made incriminating statements, and a review of the seized phone uncovered additional recordings, including one depicting a juvenile. He was charged with three felony counts of unauthorized video recording and held pending a pretrial detention hearing. Police thanked the church for its cooperation during the investigation.
🛡️ My thoughts: This is becoming very common in churches. I suggest that every team should sweep the bathrooms before services start and at the end of the day. You would be amazed at where you would find a camera. One church told me that they found one in a toilet paper roll. The most common place is in a ceiling vent or a tiny hole in the ceiling. Many times, this is committed by staff.
Church Member Charged With 10 Counts of Child Sex Crimes, Fifth Man Tied to the Same Congregation — Wenatchee, Washington
Brian L. Brons, 63, a member of Grace City Church in Wenatchee, was arrested and charged with 10 counts related to alleged sex crimes against children between the ages of 5 and 12. The charges include two counts of attempted first-degree child rape, three counts of first-degree child molestation, two counts of unlawful imprisonment, and three counts of commercial sexual abuse of a minor. According to local reporting, Brons is the fifth man connected to Grace City Church to be arrested or convicted of sex crimes in recent years. The congregation, one of the larger churches in the Wenatchee Valley, has drawn growing scrutiny as that pattern has emerged. Independent journalists who cover the region have tracked the string of cases tied to the church across several years.
Lead Pastor Arrested in Prostitution Sting, Fired by Church — Amarillo, Texas
David Austin Ritchie, 42, the lead pastor of Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo, was arrested on Saturday, June 13, 2026, on a charge of solicitation of prostitution. He was one of eight men taken into custody by the Texas Department of Public Safety in an undercover operation in Randall County. Ritchie, who had led the church since 2011, posted a 3,500 dollar bond and was released from custody. The church’s elders placed him on leave immediately and voted to terminate his employment that Monday, and his profile was removed from the church website. Local prosecutors said a decision on formal charges was still pending.
ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES
Man Confesses to Setting Multiple Fires Inside Church — Shady Spring, West Virginia
Early on the morning of Friday, June 12, 2026, a man unlawfully entered Open Door Church on Ritter Drive in Shady Spring and set multiple fires inside the building. Raleigh County deputies were initially dispatched to the church for a report of a possible burglary not in progress. Investigators determined the suspect had also left several handwritten notes throughout the property. Kevin Michael Goodson, 33, later contacted investigators, confessed, and was taken into custody. He was charged with three counts of second-degree arson and one count of entry of a building other than a dwelling, and is being held on a 250,000 dollar bond.
🛡️ My thoughts: This is your weekly reminder that you need a fire alarm, a burglar alarm and a 4k video system at your church.
Second Suspect Charged in 2025 Baptist Church Arson — Flint, Michigan
A second suspect has been charged in connection with the August 30, 2025 fire at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Flint, which kept the congregation out of its building for about two months. Federal prosecutors first charged Billy Chambers, 63, after surveillance video reportedly captured a man bringing a gas can wrapped in a trash bag and igniting the church around 2:15 a.m. A criminal complaint then charged Sonja L. Settles with conspiracy to commit arson and related counts, with investigators citing phone records and her fingerprints and DNA on a gas can recovered from the scene. The Department of Justice is treating the fire as an anti-Christian hate crime, charging both suspects with obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by use of fire. The fire itself is an older incident, but the charges against both suspects are the current development.
Firefighter Injured in Suspected Arson at Vacant Church — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
On Tuesday, June 17, 2026, fire broke out at a boarded-up church near 26th and Auer in Milwaukee, drawing roughly 50 firefighters. One firefighter was injured battling the blaze. The Milwaukee Police Department said the fire at the abandoned church is being investigated as arson. No arrest has been reported at this time. The structure was vacant when the fire started.
INTERNATIONAL
Dozens Detained in Latest Raid on Early Rain Covenant Church — China
Authorities in China detained dozens of members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in the latest raid on the congregation, according to reports published around June 16, 2026. Early Rain is one of the country’s best-known unregistered Protestant churches and has been targeted repeatedly by the state. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, characterized the detentions as part of intensifying pressure on independent churches. Members have continued to gather despite ongoing enforcement actions. The detentions are the most recent in a long pattern of raids against the church.
More Than 60 Christians Attacked During Sunday Service — Sukma District, India
A group of more than 60 Christians was attacked during a Sunday service in Sadrapal village, Sukma District, in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, on May 31, 2026, according to the advocacy organization CSW. Sources reported that members of the congregation were assaulted and that some of the injured were afterward denied medical treatment. The attack reflects continuing hostility toward Christian communities in parts of central India. Local believers have faced escalating pressure in the region. CSW reported the incident in mid-June.
Five Abducted Church Members Confirmed Dead — Kwara State, Nigeria
Five of eight members of an ECWA congregation in the Omugo community of Kwara State, Nigeria, who were abducted from their church on March 22, 2026, have been confirmed dead, the church disclosed in mid-June. The abduction was part of a wave of banditry and kidnapping targeting worshippers in the region. The church expressed grief over the deaths of the captives. The killings underscore the persistent danger faced by rural Christian communities in north-central Nigeria. The original abduction drew national attention to insecurity around church services.
SUBSCRIBER ONLY CONTENT
Each week, I may break down one incident even further for our paid subscribers. This week we are going in depth into cameras in church bathrooms. We'll talk more about how to look for these cameras, and I'll offer infographics and a checklist to help you prevent this.
