TERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE
Two Iranian Men Charged in Chlorine Bomb Plot Against Manchester Jewish Community: Manchester, England
British prosecutors charged Rahman Salehi, 35, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, both Iranian men, on Friday, October 2, with preparing to commit an act of terrorism on or before September 20. Counter Terrorism Policing arrested the two men in Manchester on September 20, during the Jewish High Holidays. Police allege the men obtained instructions to make a chlorine bomb and acquired liquids and other components for an improvised explosive device. According to a government counterterrorism digest issued October 7, the two men arrived in the United Kingdom by small boat, obtained a bomb-making manual and video, and carried out reconnaissance on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, the synagogue where a man killed two people in a vehicle ramming and stabbing attack on Yom Kippur in 2025. London’s Metropolitan Police also allege the men were in contact with a third party overseas, possibly in Iran. The case comes days after British officials said there was a “strong indication” of Iranian involvement in a separate incident near RAF Fairford, a base used by U.S. bombers, where a dual British-Iranian national was among those arrested.
Source Source Source: government counterterrorism digest
🛡️ My thoughts: there are two major things to learn from this incident. Number one: terror attacks are becoming more complex. Instead of stabbings and shootings, we are seeing ramming, fire attacks, bomb, attacks, and now we have to face chemical attacks. This kind of chemical attack is very easy to make happen. The barrier to entry is very low. Number two: we are seeing a recurring theme where people are being recruited online by the IRGC or isis and Al Qaeda. They are being given a few thousand dollars to carry out an attack. These attacks are skyrocketing, and I am shocked. We have not had more in the United States. We have had a few though. Many churches openly support Israel, and that makes you a target of these people. I report on synagogue attacks because I want Christians to understand how the attacks are occurring, so when they decide to come after you, you're ready.
Islamic State Supporter Arrested in FBI Sting While Planning Mass Shooting at the Mall of America: Bloomington, Minnesota
Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, of Richfield, Minnesota, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on October 6. He is charged with receiving a firearm and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), he exchanged hundreds of messages with a confidential source starting in December 2024, discussed buying a gun and recruiting others, and sent a video pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS). The DOJ says he chose October 24 and a Hmong Arts Celebration at the Mall of America as his target, said the mall was owned by Jews, and wanted to copy the Pulse nightclub, Bondi Beach and New Orleans attacks. On October 6 he paid an undercover FBI employee about $600 cash for an AK-47 rifle the FBI had made inoperable, four 30-round magazines and about 200 rounds, and he was arrested once he took possession. The release does not name a church or other house of worship, and the charges are allegations in a criminal complaint.
Pre-Attack Surveillance Behaviors Listed in This Week’s Government Counterterrorism Digest
Alongside the Manchester case, a government counterterrorism digest issued Wednesday, October 7, listed observable behaviors that can indicate someone is conducting surveillance of a target before an attack. The list includes asking probing questions; deliberately avoiding cameras and other detection systems; trying to get into unauthorized or sensitive areas; wearing smart glasses or other wearable recording devices; taking notes or sketching a location; showing unusual interest in how security responds to an incident, hoax call or drill; loitering and watching; and using ordinary recording devices. The digest notes that this kind of surveillance is often identified only after an attack, during the investigation. The same digest reported that a U.S. Department of Energy employee in Richland, Washington, Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, was charged October 1 with trying to provide material support to the Houthis by buying precursor chemicals and parts for explosive devices and drones, and it described insiders with legitimate access as a recurring vulnerability that screening and recurring vetting are meant to catch.
Source: government counterterrorism digest
🛡️ My thoughts: I have a course on looking for these pre-attack cues. Head over to courses. christianwarriortraining.com and take these classes for free.
Islamic State Newsletter Claims Beheading of Nine Christians and Raids on Christian Villages in Congo and Mozambique
The Islamic State’s weekly al-Naba newsletter, issue 567, dated Thursday, October 1, claims its Central Africa branch raided the Christian village of Bandisende in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Monday, September 28, killing a Congolese soldier and a Christian villager and burning 30 homes. The newsletter claims fighters returned near the same village the next day, Tuesday, September 29, captured nine Christians and killed them by cutting their throats. In Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique, the newsletter claims fighters killed three Christians between September 18 and 28 near the villages of Manguma and Mabuto in Mocimboa da Praia, raided the Christian village of Nambido in Nangade on September 20, and burned seven trucks and farm vehicles belonging to a Chinese company near Palma. It also claims four Christians were killed in northeast Nigeria during the same week. These are the group’s own claims and have not been independently confirmed.
Source: Islamic State al-Naba newsletter, issue 567
Arkansas Man Pleads Guilty to Vandalizing a Synagogue on Behalf of an Iranian Agent: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Richard Christopher Hammer, 20, of Hot Springs, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, September 30, in federal court to acting as an agent of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the right of religious freedom for damage he caused at Congregation House of Israel, a Hot Springs synagogue, in April. The charges also covered a plot to sabotage an Arkansas missile production facility. Each count carries up to 10 years in federal prison. European intelligence reporting this month describes the same method: Iranian handlers recruiting local criminals and teenagers over encrypted apps to carry out attacks that cannot easily be traced back to Tehran. President Trump has said he may resume strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections, and a third U.S. aircraft carrier group is moving to the Middle East with the buildup expected to be complete in late November.
🛡️ My thoughts: another example of many of somebody being recruited by the IRGC online. These will become more common. If you outwardly support Israel at your church by hanging an Israeli flag or any other symbol, take preparations for Lone Wolf actor coming to your church. By all means don't stop your support. Continue supporting Israel, but do so with vigilance in mind. Remember Nehemiah 4:9.
Nehemiah 4:9
But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Churches Displaying Israeli Memorial Flags Targeted in Three Cities Around the October 7 Anniversary: Anchorage, Alaska; McKinney, Texas; Toronto, Canada
Three churches that set out Israeli flags to mark the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack had their displays stolen, vandalized or burned this week. At Mountain City Church in Anchorage, all 1,200 flags placed on Thursday, October 1, were taken at about 1 a.m. on Friday, and surveillance video shows several people moving quickly across the grounds after dark. At Heritage Church in McKinney, Pastor Len McLaughlin arrived Tuesday morning, October 6, to find 200 to 300 of the church’s 1,200 flags pulled up, broken and stomped into the ground; the church had also been receiving threats over the display. In the North York area of Toronto, several Israeli flags were set on fire near a church on Wednesday, October 7, and Toronto police are investigating it as a suspected hate crime. Police reports were filed in all three cases, and no arrests have been announced.
Pittsburgh-Area Man Indicted for Getting a Gun to Support the Islamic State: Western Pennsylvania
A federal grand jury indicted Jonathan Hunter Kramer, 21, of western Pennsylvania, on a charge of obtaining a gun and ammunition to support the Islamic State. Prosecutors say Kramer used the online name “Hamza Al Rashid,” claimed to be affiliated with the Islamic State and offered to share explosives manuals with others. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a few days before September 12 he said he intended to prepare for his “mission” and was only missing a weapon. He is jailed pending trial and faces up to 15 years in prison. No target has been named in public filings.
🛡️ My thoughts: look how many of these there have been in this newsletter in the past year. The Lord has protected our churches from this evil. We must remain vigilant.
Teenagers Now Present in Most Islamic State Plots in the United States
The majority of Islamic State-inspired plots in the United States since 2024 have involved at least one teenager, according to open-source analysis published this week. CNN reported on September 28 on Daniel Fischer of South Carolina, who went from first contact with Islamic State material to attack planning in about five months at age 16. Recruitment is running through gaming platforms, social media and online “true crime” communities that celebrate mass shooters. Indonesian police warned this month that more than 300 children there had been drawn into those same online communities. The same pattern appears outside the Islamic State: in Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel recruited a 16-year-old from Oaxaca through a fake TikTok job post and held him in forced servitude in Puerto Vallarta.
🛡️ My thoughts: if you've been reading my thoughts on the stories above, you know why this is happening. It's happening because ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the IRGC are doing a wonderful job at recruiting them online. They're being brainwashed into believing that they're going to get easy money for carrying out an attack for the cause.
Islamic State Supporters Discuss Arson and Infiltrating Police
In August, users on an English-language pro-Islamic State discussion group traded ideas for advancing the group’s goals. One user recommended using artificial intelligence (AI) tools for propaganda, hacking and exposing personal information, and named a specific AI platform as having little censorship. The same user recommended joining police departments to gain access to intelligence, weapons and information on officers for future operations, and recommended setting wooded areas on fire with acetone. A separate pro-Islamic State guide circulated in late June and early July called fire “the easiest weapon” and listed buildings, buses and trains as targets.
Source: internal restricted government document
🛡️ My thoughts: some people might say these discussions are rhetoric. and the thoughts of madmen that have no way of carrying it out. You cannot be any more wrong. They are telling you exactly what they are going to do. Pay attention to what they say because they will follow through.
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORTS
Reader-submitted suspicious activity at U.S. churches. If you see something similar in your area, submit your own report at alert.christianwarriortraining.com.
Fort Wayne, Indiana: Locked Door Tried During Service; Driver Left After Seeing Outside Observer On Sunday, October 4, 2026, at about 10:30 a.m., a security team member at a church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, reported two incidents during the morning service. A young mother and her daughter drove around the building and tried to enter through the office doors, which are kept locked; when met at the door she asked to use the restroom, was shown to it, and afterward drove to a nearby park. About the same time, a young man pulled into the drive, started to get out, saw the outside observer sitting in a truck by the childcare entrance, got back in and drove off to the west. The first vehicle was a white four-door sedan and the second a newer black four-door sedan, and the team notified its county police liaison. CWT case 20261004-E1B3ECF5E814
Florida Panhandle: Same Man Returns After Nine Months, Photographs Restrooms and Says He Is “Scoping Things Out” On Sunday, October 4, 2026, at about 12:30 p.m., the security team at a church in the Florida Panhandle reported a second visit by a man first seen nine months earlier. On the first visit he came to a midweek service with a large fixed-blade knife visible and asked security team members which small group to attend. On the second visit, at the late service, a team member noted something printing in the middle of his back; he photographed the restrooms and several public areas and told someone he was “scoping things out.” He is described as a white male in his late 30s to early 40s wearing a leather vest, sunglasses and a beanie, and he left the property in a black minivan. CWT case 20261004-F0DF3EBD94DC
🛡️ My thoughts: please continue reporting suspicious activity to intel.christianwarriortraining.com. Your tips have led to FBI contacting Christian Warrior for more information. on the tips that you were posting. Please contact the police first and then contact us so everybody else can know.
VIOLENT CRIME
Veteran Arrested for Threatening University of Texas and a Local Church: Austin, Texas
Austin police arrested David Benjamin Coleman-Roush, 35, early Thursday, October 1, at a home on Tapadera Trace Lane in North Austin. He is charged with terroristic threat, a third-degree felony, for overnight threats against the University of Texas at Austin and a local church. Police have not identified the church or described the threats in detail. According to an arrest affidavit, a call to the 988 crisis line led to the arrest, and he had texted his wife about a planned incident at the university. University police said he was reportedly in a mental health crisis and has no connection to the school.
🛡️ My thoughts: if your church receives a threat like this, please take it seriously. Get a restraining order and let all of your staff know what is happening. Work with local police on a response plan in case he shows up.
Search Warrant Shows At Least Two Shooters Fired 55 Rounds Beside Catholic Church: Edina, Minnesota
Gunfire broke out at about 7:53 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, near the basketball courts and parking lot of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church on Eden Avenue during a pickup basketball game. According to a search warrant made public October 1, surveillance video shows muzzle flashes from at least two or three shooters on the church’s north entrance road. Players ran through the parking lot, and others took cover behind vehicles or ran around the church building. Police recovered 55 spent casings and torn packaging for a Glock 9mm extended magazine, and two SUVs in the lot had bullet-damaged windows; no one was hurt. The shooters left in a vehicle heading east on Eden Avenue, no arrests have been announced, and a city meeting on gun violence scheduled at the church on October 5 was moved off the property over safety concerns.
Two Men Shot Behind a Church: Culpeper County, Virginia
Two men were shot at about 6:36 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, in the 16000 block of Rogers Road in Culpeper County. Initial reporting placed the shooting behind a church. One man was shot in the leg and the other in the back, and one was flown to a hospital while the other was taken by ambulance. Deputies asked the public to stay away from the area while they searched for the suspect. No suspect description has been released.
🛡️ My thoughts: it is almost weekly now that we have an incident like this. Many times people fleeing danger will go to a church for sanctuary. It doesn't matter the time or the day. Deep down inside, they are hopeful that a church will save them. Be ready for scenarios like this. They are often outside of worship hours. Ensure your church has a 4K video system to record any crime that occurs on the property and just outside the property on the perimeter. It will help you and police solve any incidents that happened around your church.
Man Arrested After Showing a Gun to a Greek Orthodox Church Employee During Church Festival: Albuquerque, New Mexico
A man was arrested on Saturday, October 3, after police say he flashed a gun at a man who was taking a break from working at the Albuquerque Grecian Festival. The man threatened was an employee of the Greek Orthodox church. The man is in custody. Details on charges and what led up to the confrontation were not available at the time of this issue.
🛡️ My thoughts: I saw another news story on this incident where police used less lethal to subdue the man. Festivals are becoming increasingly dangerous. We are reporting on gun crime at these festivals quite frequently. Ensure you have adequate security to protect your people.
Man Fired Shots From a Car Near a Church, Then Shot a State Agent During the Search: Reidsville, North Carolina
On October 3, Rockingham County deputies responded to reports that a man was randomly firing shots from a white Lexus on a roadway near a church, according to arrest warrants. The warrants say Marvin White, 38, of Eden, also threatened a man with a gun and took his phone and car keys. When deputies arrived in the 800 block of Walker Street, White exchanged gunfire with them and ran. During the search, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) agents tracked him to a crawl space under a house, where he allegedly shot a 10-year SBI Special Response Team agent in the leg; the agent returned fire. The agent was in stable condition and scheduled for surgery, and White is held without bond on charges that include attempted first-degree murder. Authorities have not named the church or said whether anyone was there at the time.
🛡️ My thoughts: it's just like this can cause stray bullets to hit the church. If an incident like this happens near your church, lock the church down and put your people into the center of the church in an area they can protect them from stray rounds. Armed security should go to the nearest door and ensure that no bad actors try to get into the church when they run from the police.
SEX CRIMES
Youth Pastor Charged With Grooming a 15-Year-Old: McCracken County, Kentucky
The McCracken County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jared Denney, 37, on Friday, October 2, after a month-long investigation that began in late August. Denney was a youth pastor and Sunday school teacher at Bellview Baptist Church. He is charged with felony grooming, felony procuring or promoting the use of a minor by electronic means, and distributing obscene matter to minors. Investigators allege he sent sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl while he was serving as her church’s youth pastor. The church released a statement after the arrest.
🛡️ My thoughts: paedophiles will go to where they have an abundance of victims. That would be children's sports teams, organizations like the Boy Scouts of America, and churches. For churches specifically, they will become an employee or of trusted volunteers so they can gain access to the children. They will start grooming them and then have their way with them. Make sure that you take my training below and have all of your staff take the training. Recognize the signs of grooming so that you can stop them.
Man in Church Pastor Training Program Charged With Sexual Assault of a 16-Year-Old: The Woodlands, Texas
The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office arrested Isaias Escobar, 22, on a charge of sexual assault of a child, and the arrest was announced September 29. Escobar entered a pastor training program at Grace Church in The Woodlands in 2025. The victim’s mother described him as a youth and worship leader at Grace and at his parents’ church, Iglesia de Cristo Ebenezer Emmanuel in Livingston. The assault of a 16-year-old girl allegedly took place on August 13 after a Grace youth event that both attended. Grace Church says Escobar was not an employee, held no position there and was dismissed from the program when leaders learned of the allegation.
Kentucky Pastor Charged With Sodomy and Sexual Abuse of Minors; Second Accuser Comes Forward: Somerset, Kentucky
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office arrested Scott C. Hughes, 54, at his Somerset home on Thursday night, October 1. Hughes is pastor of Pleasant View Baptist Church in Waynesburg, Lincoln County, and the church placed him on administrative leave. He is charged with first-degree sexual abuse and second- and third-degree sodomy, with the alleged abuse of minors in Pulaski County beginning around 2018. On October 6 the sheriff’s office said an adult had come forward to report that Hughes abused them as a minor in 2012 and 2013 in another county, and that report was referred to the agency with jurisdiction. Hughes is held on a $75,000 bond.
Church Music Minister Arrested by FBI on Child Pornography Charge: Borger, Texas
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Tharon Drake, 53, on Wednesday, September 30, on a federal complaint charging receipt of child pornography. Drake had served since 2020 as minister of worship arts and media at First Baptist Church of Borger. The complaint describes online contact through Kik and Snapchat with people he believed were minors or who were identified as minors. The church suspended him from all ministry duties, removed him from its website and said it is cooperating with law enforcement. Public filings do not describe contact with children through the church.
Church Deacon, Paramedic and Nurse Charged With Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material: Dongola, Illinois
The Illinois Attorney General’s office charged Gregory Brown, 43, of Dongola, with 12 counts of possessing child pornography depicting children under 13. Brown is a deacon at a local church, a paramedic with a local ambulance company and a registered nurse at a local hospital. Investigators from the Attorney General’s office and the Illinois State Police searched his home on Burns Road and arrested him after finding the material on his phone. Each count is a Class 2 felony carrying up to seven years in prison. The charges were announced Friday, October 2, and he was held in the Pulaski County Jail pending a detention hearing.
Former Youth Ministry Leader Jailed on Indecent Sexual Contact Charge: Marion, Texas
Jesse Skaggs, 32, a nurse who ran the youth ministry at The Purpose Church in Marion, is in jail on a charge of indecent sexual contact. The San Antonio Express-News reported his arrest. The full charging details were not available in public reporting at the time of this issue.
Man Charged With Raping a Teenager in a Church Parking Lot: Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Elijah Helmick is charged with rape by forcible compulsion and statutory sexual assault, accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in a church parking lot in Bedford County. The two met through Snapchat before the assault, according to court documents. When confronted about the assault, Helmick said “I don’t really care,” according to those documents. Reporting does not name the church.
Registered Sex Offender Served in Megachurch Ministry Roles for Years: Simpsonville, South Carolina
Members of Brookwood Church in Simpsonville are asking church leaders how Jerry Sidell, a registered sex offender, came to serve in several ministry roles there. Sidell was convicted in Georgia in 1983 of child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes after confessing to molesting boys while he was a youth minister. He began attending Brookwood around 1999, served in men’s ministry, played keyboard on the main stage and, according to one member, played music for a Celebrate Recovery group for students in grades 6 through 12; he also founded a separate music ministry that held events where minors appeared. The church says he was a volunteer in an adult worship band and a men’s small group, was never around children, and was removed from serving once leaders learned of his status. Brookwood says it has since added a security team, about 300 cameras, volunteer background checks and a designated entry and escort procedure for registered offenders who attend; he faces no pending charges.
🛡️ My thoughts: they implemented everything that we suggest. It makes me wonder if this church has people that follow Christian warrior training. If they had implemented all of this before, they would've caught them earlier. The Lord can forgive this man, but that doesn't mean that you give him any kind of access to children at the church.
ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES
Fire in Sanctuary of Missionary Baptist Church: Crestview, Florida
The Crestview Fire Department was dispatched on the morning of Monday, October 5, to a structure fire at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and McDonald Street near downtown Crestview. Firefighters found the fire coming from the church’s main sanctuary. The fire was extinguished. The cause, the extent of the damage and whether anyone was hurt were not available in public reporting at the time of this issue.
🛡️ My thoughts
VEHICLE COLLISIONS
Car Crashes Through Church Sign and Lands Against Church Steps; Driver Fled: Washington, Pennsylvania
A car crashed onto the property of Fairhill Manor Christian Church at about 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, October 3. The car came from Shirls Avenue, went through the church sign, knocked down a light pole and stopped against the concrete stairs. Two people were flown to hospitals. Police identified Avery Alexander Ray as the person who ran from the scene, and two officers were hurt in the struggle to take him into custody; he was held on a probation detainer with charges pending. The associate pastor said building damage was minimal, and the church held its scheduled dinner that day and services the next morning.
🛡️ My thoughts
Two Priests Struck by Cars in Crosswalks, One Killed: Upper Arlington, Ohio, and Prineville, Oregon
Monsignor John Johnson of St. Agatha Church in Upper Arlington was struck by a vehicle driven by a teenager at the intersection of Tremont and Ridgecliff roads on the morning of Tuesday, September 29, and died the next night at Riverside Methodist Hospital. No charges or citations have been reported. In Prineville, Father Joseph Kunnelaya, 71, of St. Joseph Catholic Church was struck at about 8:44 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, while crossing NE 7th Street at North Main Street, by a driver turning onto 7th. He was flown to St. Charles Bend in critical condition, has had surgery on his leg and is expected to recover. Prineville police found no sign of impairment, said sun glare may have reduced the driver’s visibility, and reported no citations.
🛡️ My thoughts
INTERNATIONAL
Eighteen Christian Mourners Abducted on the Way to a Burial: Benue and Kogi States, Nigeria
About 20 armed men abducted 18 mourners, 10 men and eight women, at about 10:15 p.m. on Friday, September 25, at Awowo junction on the Adoka-Ankpa Road in Kogi State. The mourners were traveling by bus from Tyomu in Benue State to a burial in Ankpa. Community members say the attackers spoke Fulfulde, and police confirmed the abduction. The kidnappers demanded 30 million naira, about $20,000, and rejected a 3 million naira payment as too small. On Tuesday, September 29, Tyomu residents blocked the Gboko-Makurdi highway for several hours to demand government action, and as of the report none of the 18 had been released.
🛡️ My thoughts
Elderly Woman Assaulted Outside a Church in Unprovoked Attack: Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Shortly after 3:30 p.m. on September 25, Windsor police responded to a report of an assault in the 700 block of Mercer Street. Investigators say a woman the victim did not know walked up to her outside a church, assaulted her and choked her without provocation. The attacker then left on foot. The elderly victim suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Police said on October 1 that tips from the public helped them identify the suspect, and they have not announced charges or named the church.
🛡️ My thoughts
Priest and Local Official Trade Punches Inside Anglican Church During Service: Abim, Uganda
A fight broke out inside All Saints Church in Abim Town Council, Diocese of North Karamoja, on Sunday, September 27. It began when Rev. Can Richard Ongom refused to give Innocent Oyoo, a local ward chairperson, time to address the congregation about security and the distribution of treated mosquito nets. The argument turned into punches and shoving, churchgoers rushed in, and some people fell to the floor. Police appealed for calm and said inquiries are ongoing. The bishop warned church leaders against confrontation in the church.
🛡️ My thoughts