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TERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE
Iran War Resumes and Widens as Its Proxies Strike Jewish Targets in the West
The war between the United States and Iran has resumed and is widening. After the June memorandum of understanding collapsed, the United States launched fresh airstrikes on Iranian military sites, and Iran answered with missile strikes on American installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan. Israeli intelligence reported an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump, who answered with a public warning of overwhelming retaliation. The danger reaches well beyond the battlefield. Since March, an Iranian proxy front called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, or HAYI, which United States prosecutors tie to the Revolutionary Guard and the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, has claimed roughly 20 attacks on Jewish targets across Europe, among them a synagogue bombing in Liège, Belgium, arson against Jewish sites in London and Rotterdam, and the stabbing of two Jewish men in London. In May, federal authorities charged a Kataib Hezbollah commander, Mohammad al-Saadi, with plotting to bring the campaign into the United States, including an attack on a New York City synagogue. This is a campaign against worship sites and against people in the West seen as aligned with Israel, and it relies on the same arson and small-arms methods a church security team already trains to counter.
🛡️ My thoughts: the expansion of the war cannot be understated. More than likely, we will continue it threat level orange for quite a while. I fully expect that synagogues will continue to be attacked. If you are a synagogue, and watching this, I would be at red the highest level. If you are a Christian Church openly supporting Israel, you should be a red also.
Islamic State Is Calling for Attacks on Christians and Churches
In Mastung, Balochistan, Pakistan, on July 9, the group’s Pakistan branch claimed a targeted shooting at a cricket ground that killed two Christian men, Ayush Masih, 21, and Domnik Masih, 24. Islamic State doctrine, restated across its recent output, frames Christians as targets for forced conversion, taxation, or death, and the group has repeatedly urged followers to burn churches and synagogues in the West. Its Easter propaganda this year did exactly that, calling on supporters across the United States and Europe to set them on fire. The incitement grew louder after the May 18 shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, an attack by two young white supremacists that killed three people, including the mosque’s security guard, and wounded another. In the days that followed, Islamic State supporter networks online called for retaliation against Christians, with one user urging an attack on a church and another threatening to kill Christian men. The realistic threat here is an inspired individual or small group hitting a soft target, which is what your team should be preparing against.
🛡️ My thoughts: ISIS does not have enough logistical support in the United States to carry out an attack. However, they are heavily relying on lone actors to attack churches in synagogues. They are pumping each other up on the dark web and on telegram channels. Expect continued attacks and assaults from these people.
ISIS Detainees Confess to Church Bombing and Planned Attacks in Damascus, Syria
Detainees held in Syria confessed to involvement in the Mar Elias Church bombing and to other planned attacks, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. One detainee said an ISIS operative had outlined a plan to attack Mar Elias Church by opening fire on those inside. The confessions were reported by state media this week. The disclosures point to continued ISIS targeting of Christian sites in the country. Syrian authorities said the investigation was ongoing.
🛡️ My thoughts: You need to watch these types of attacks. Even though this may not concern us because it is in the Middle East in a country we probably don't care about, it shows you exactly how they are going to carry out and attack here in the United States if they want to make it happen. Study these, and then put them in your scenario portfolio to play out in future training.
Jihadist Groups Have Begun Using AI Tools to Plan Attacks
A study from the University of Cambridge found that both factions of Boko Haram, the Islamic State affiliate ISWAP and the JAS faction, have built commercial AI chatbots into their operations for attack planning, explosive device design, weapons troubleshooting, and operational security. The know-how was passed in person by Islamic State operatives moving through Libya, Iraq, and other nodes, and dedicated AI units now sit inside ISWAP’s command structure. The finding is significant for two reasons. It shortens the distance between a group deciding to attack and being able to plan and build for one, and the groups leading this adoption are the same ones calling for and carrying out attacks on Christians in Africa and abroad.
Weapons Staged at a Paris Synagogue as Threats to Worship Sites Stay High
French counterterrorism prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation after authorities found a loaded rifle and a handgun staged in a vehicle outside a synagogue in Sarcelles, near Paris, and evacuated 300 people from the neighborhood. United States and allied agencies spent the week reminding first responders that congregations and the people who lead them remain deliberate targets. With the World Cup Final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the America 250 events, and the Jewish fast of Tisha B’Av on July 22 and 23, large public gatherings and religious sites stay at heightened risk through the end of the month.
🛡️ My thoughts: the attack continue to be thwarted. This is a win for the good guys. It some point they are going to break through though. Use this as an example of the things that you need to look for while you stand post outside. Anything suspicious should be checked trust your instinct. It is usually the Lord talking to you and not your “instinct.” I was a successful police officer because I listened to the voice in my head. At the time, I did not realize it was the Lord talking to me. I absolutely realize it now, though. Trust those thoughts.
VIOLENT CRIME
Suspicious Device Placed at Church During Sunday Service in Alabaster Township, Michigan
Tawas City police were called to Alabaster Bible Church on Benson Road in Alabaster Township, Michigan, shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, after a report of a possible bomb inside the building. Witnesses said a person walked into the church during the service, set a bag down near the entrance, and left immediately. Congregants who looked inside reported seeing what appeared to be a small box with wires and a possible triggering device, and called 911. The Michigan State Police bomb squad examined the package and determined it did not pose a threat. Police said there was no ongoing danger but asked anyone with information to come forward, and the investigation remains open.
🛡️ My thoughts: this is an interesting case. This could just be a mentally ill person, or it could be a person thinking it's a funny joke. It could also be a test to see how we respond. Never discount incident like this. If this happens at your church, treat it like it is a real device.
Fleeing Car Crashes Into Church After Gunfire in New Castle, Pennsylvania
A disturbance involving gunfire in Union Township ended with a fleeing car crashing into Trinity Episcopal Church in New Castle, Pennsylvania. One person was sent to the hospital as a result of the crash. Local reporting described the sequence as an escape attempt that ended at the church building. The incident was reported this week.
🛡️ My thoughts: how often are you seeing me publish a violent crime that happens elsewhere that ends at the church? It's pretty frequent, isn't it? You should take notice of this is our planning on what to do if a similar incident happens to your church. I use Tactical visualization. Basically, I look at an incident like this and start thinking about what I'm going to do. When I'm driving, I just start thinking of incidents like this and thinking of how I'm going to respond. As an example, I always looked at a 711 on my beat when I was a younger officer and think about how I would respond if I saw an armed robber coming out as I was driving by. I thought about what to do hundreds of times over the next several years. Sure enough, one day I drove by and an armed robber was running out of that 711. He went exactly to the place I thought and my Tactical visualization that a suspect would go and I cornered him. I did everything that I had planned out over the years. It went off flawlessly with nobody being hurt. I don't know how that would've ended out. Had I not use Tactical visualization. It is a wonderful tool that has been used for over a century.
SEX CRIMES
Former Youth Pastor Arrested on 90 Counts of Child Molestation in Bossier Parish, Louisiana
The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested David Mercer, 72, of Folsom, Louisiana, following an investigation into multiple child sex offenses spanning decades. Mercer was booked into the Bossier Parish Maximum Security Facility on July 11 on 90 counts of forcible fondling and molestation of a juvenile, and was held on a $2.5 million bond. Investigators say Mercer served as a youth pastor in northwest Louisiana and in southeast Missouri during the 1990s, and that the alleged offenses date back more than 30 years. Detectives from multiple jurisdictions are working the case as additional victims are identified. The investigation remains active.
🛡️ My thoughts: there are more victims and what they found. Expect more victims to come out as they read the news story. I need you to see if this Pastor ever served at your church. If he did, you need to immediately start looking for victims within your church. It is better for you to get ahead of it. You're going to do that by making an announcement to your church that he served there and was arrested. Then ask if anybody knows if anybody in the church that was a victim. The Bible is clear on your duty to do this. The Bible doesn't say protect your church, the Bible says to help the week and the defenseless and to seek justice. THE LORD EXPECTS THIS OF YOU! If you have victims in your church, then you helped them get Counseling and you put them in touch with the Police Dept.
Registered Sex Offender Arrested After Volunteering at Church With Children in Pawleys Island, South Carolina
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office arrested Warren Spence Perry, 70, on a probation violation after a complaint filed Monday, July 13, revealed he had been volunteering at Pawleys Island Community Church, which also operates a school and a daycare. Perry’s probation stemmed from a prior child sex offense that barred him from proximity to children. Deputies investigated after the complaint identified him working in a volunteer role at the church. In the days that followed, angry church members confronted their pastor during a heated meeting over claims that leadership had known of Perry’s record and allowed him to serve. The church issued a public statement in response to the arrest.
🛡️ My thoughts: more than likely, this guy came to the church for the specific reason of trying to find victims. You need to take my course on protecting children in the church. The link is above. It is free. It tells you exactly how to stop groomers in their tracks at your church.
Pastor’s Son Charged With Child Sexual Abuse in Tacoma, Washington
A man identified in police records as Stabbert, the adult son of a longtime Tacoma pastor, has been charged with sexually assaulting two children in incidents dating as far back as 1997. According to Tacoma police records, several elders at Fellowship Bible Church reported that Stabbert had confessed to abusing at least two victims. Police records also indicate the church had been warned repeatedly about the alleged abuse over a period of years. Stabbert was a member of the church at the time the reports were made. The case was filed this week.
🛡️ My thoughts: Hiding crimes like this is a SIN. The Lord does not command you to protect the church. HE demands that you protect children.
"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible."
Ephesians 5:11-13 (ESV)
ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES
Man Charged Federally in Firebombing Spree Targeting a Church and Mosques in Queens, New York
Federal authorities arrested Yogesh Sayrange, 36, on July 9 in connection with a string of arson attacks across Queens and Brooklyn over roughly two weeks. Officers responded to a 911 call at Iglesia Bautista El Mesias Church in Ozone Park around 11:35 p.m. after Sayrange allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the building. Prosecutors say he is linked to at least seven acts of arson, including firebombings of mosques that authorities are investigating as anti-Muslim attacks. According to federal prosecutors, before one attack Sayrange asked men nearby whether they wanted the device thrown at them and threatened to cut a man’s head off. He faces federal arson charges.
🛡️ My thoughts: let me get this straight, they're investigating it as anti-Muslim attacks, but not as an anti-Christian attack for attacking the church? Sorry for the rant, but I hope you see what is happening here.
Landmarked Brooklyn Church Demolished After Arson Fire in Brooklyn, New York
The FDNY and NYPD are investigating the June 19 fire that destroyed the South Bushwick Reformed Church, a landmarked wooden sanctuary built in 1853, as arson, with a person of interest seen leaving the property just before the blaze. Citing public safety, New York City’s Department of Buildings ordered the structure torn down and rejected the congregation’s plans to stabilize and rebuild part of it. The city demolished the original church over the following two weeks and began razing the attached Fellowship Hall on July 14. Pastor James Steward, who had first vowed to rebuild, said a full demolition would likely strip the site of its landmark protection and could leave the church forced to sell the land to a developer. The city intends to bill the congregation for the demolition, a cost expected to run well past what it has raised.
🛡️ My thoughts: NYC forgot about 9/11 and elected a Muslim man, Mamdani. Mamdani’s administration tore down a historic church and is going to charge the church instead of letting them rebuild it. We were told in the Bible that this would happen. It is just sad to see in real life.
2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Ethiopian Orthodox Church Heavily Damaged in Fire in Rosemount, Minnesota
Firefighters responded Monday, July 13, to a fire at the Debre Bisrat St. Gabriel and St. Arsema Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church at 3285 144th Street West in Rosemount, Minnesota. Rosemount police said crews found extensive damage to the building. The Rosemount Police Department announced the fire in a public post and said the cause was under investigation. No injuries were reported in the initial accounts. The investigation was ongoing as of this week.
INTERNATIONAL
Nine Killed, Including an Infant, in Overnight Attack in Plateau State, Nigeria
Suspected gunmen killed at least nine members of one family, including an infant, in a late-night attack on two communities in Plateau State, Nigeria. The assault targeted residents in their homes during the night. Local authorities and community members reported the killings this week. The attack is part of a continuing pattern of deadly raids on farming communities in the region. Nigerian security forces have been under pressure to respond to the violence.
Pastor Dies After Kidnapping Ordeal in Benue State, Nigeria
A pastor in Benue State, Nigeria, died after surviving a kidnapping ordeal, allegedly succumbing to injuries from torture during his captivity. The cleric had been abducted roughly two weeks earlier alongside two other people. He was released before his death. Church and community members reported the death this week. Kidnapping for ransom continues to strike clergy and worshippers across Nigeria.
Two Killed in Clashes at Church During Political Violence in Kisumu, Kenya
Two young men were killed in violent clashes connected to political tensions in Kisumu, Kenya, with the confrontation unfolding at and around St. Stephen’s Church. Authorities said the deaths followed a Sunday confrontation between rival youth groups, and that one of the injured victims later died in the hospital. Police reported that eight suspects would face charges in connection with the violence. Community and political leaders condemned the rising unrest in the city. The investigation continued through the week.
Pastor Stabbed by Three Assailants During Morning Run in Cape Town, South Africa
A pastor in Cape Town, South Africa, was stabbed by three assailants while out for an early morning run on Table Mountain. He was identified as the victim of the attack in local reporting. The assault occurred during his routine run on the mountain. Authorities were notified of the stabbing. The incident was reported this week.
Historic Tehran Church Threatened With Seizure and Demolition in Tehran, Iran
St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church in Tehran, Iran, has been threatened with seizure and demolition by Iranian authorities, with members of its congregation facing the prospect of imprisonment. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps moved at the end of June to confiscate assets tied to the church and has treated employees and members as trespassers on the property. United Nations human rights experts urged Iran to reverse the seizure and to return the site to the recognized religious minority community. Christian organizations issued appeals and prayer requests over the case this week. A Presbyterian church in Mashhad was demolished in June 2026 after being similarly targeted.
