Two Catholic Festivals Erupt in Violence as the 764 Network Targets Kids
This week's listing of violent crime and intelligence for church security teams
INTELLIGENCE
New ISIS Media Unit Is Young, Multilingual, and Fixated on Religious Targets
A new pro-ISIS propaganda outfit calling itself the Al-Iman Media Center emerged in late May and has already shown an output tempo worth watching. In under three weeks it has produced the first terrorist propaganda aimed at the 2026 World Cup, the poster threatening Pope Leo XIV that paired Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral and Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia with the cities’ stadiums, an English-language magazine, and a Japanese-language poster released June 5 glorifying the two men accused of the March TATP bombing attempt at Gracie Mansion in New York City, urging supporters to learn from that operation and apply the lessons to the next one. Analysts note the unit uses AI translation tools and crowd-sourced translation from ISIS supporter forums to push content in multiple languages fast. A brand-new media shop that leads with cathedrals, a pope, and homegrown American attackers tells you exactly what audience it’s recruiting and what targets it wants them thinking about.
ISIS Al Naba Issue 550 Released
ISIS published issue 550 of its weekly al-Naba newsletter on Thursday, June 4, and Christians in Africa are the centerpiece. The lead editorial formally renews the group's ultimatum to every Christian on the continent, convert, pay the jizya, or be killed, and boasts that churches are now subject to continuous burning and destruction at their hands. The operational claims back the rhetoric: roughly 80 Christians claimed killed in village attacks around Beni in the eastern Congo in late May and early June, with International Christian Concern independently confirming at least 39 dead at Ngadi and Mbau, including a pastor and his wife, plus single-source claims of six Christians killed and a church burned in Borno State, Nigeria, and two believers executed in Mozambique. Notably, the issue contains no claim of the June 6 murder of Bishop Afonso in Mozambique and no call for attacks in the West. The threat to American churches is indirect but real, this is inspiration material with a fresh doctrinal green light against Christians, and it reinforces why the threat level stays at HIGH (Orange) through July 1.
🛡️ My thoughts
ISIS Supporter Charged With Plotting Against Places of Worship — New Jersey
On Monday, June 8, the Department of Justice charged Mohamed Sagha, 22, of New Jersey, with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. According to the federal complaint, Sagha spent December 2025 through this month in an online chat group where ISIS supporters discussed attacks against targets inside the United States, including places of worship, and he expressed his intent to assist another member with an attack on a place of worship. He separately told an associate he believed to be an ISIS member that he was considering an attack of his own, possibly against a National Guard facility or a Jewish place of worship, and shared photos of both locations. He also made a failed attempt to travel to ISIS territory in March and recently purchased a VPN to conceal his online activity. He is detained pending trial, and the charges are allegations at this point. The takeaway for security teams is simple: while the headlines focus on Africa and the World Cup, ISIS supporters here at home are still talking about our buildings.
World Cup Reminder: Your Watch Party Is a Soft Target
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened Thursday, June 11, and runs through July 19, with 78 matches across 11 American cities and official fan zones operating for weeks, including one in Washington, D.C. through July 16. The stadiums will be among the hardest targets in North America, which is exactly why the federal Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team warned this week that extremists may view fan zones and watch parties as symbolic, lower-risk alternatives, and past attacks on gatherings like these have involved shootings, stabbings, vehicle rammings, and IEDs. Many churches will host watch parties this summer, and those gatherings carry the same profile: a crowd, a schedule published in advance, and usually no security plan. If your church is showing matches, treat it like a special event, not a movie night. Control the entry, put eyes on the parking lot, watch for vehicles that don’t belong, and brief your team before the doors open. The threat level is HIGH (Orange) through July 1 for a reason, and this tournament is a big part of it.
The 764 Network: An Extremist Threat Aimed at Your Kids, Not Your Building
Federal prosecutors charged a 30-year-old Tennessee man, Zachary Sweeney, with multiple child sexual exploitation offenses, alleging that from 2022 to 2025 he groomed, abused, and exploited minors while operating inside the nihilistic violent extremist network known as 764. According to court documents, he used blackmail, doxing, swatting threats, and coercion to control his victims and kept organized collections of material for extortion. Networks like 764 don’t push a political cause; they target vulnerable kids online through social media and gaming platforms and push them toward exploitation, self-harm, and violence, and their decentralized structure makes them hard for law enforcement to dismantle. This one belongs in front of your parents and children’s ministry leaders, not just your security team. The kids these networks hunt are the same kids in your youth group, and the warning signs show up at home and at church long before they show up in a federal complaint.
Two Overseas Reminders: Rammings Don’t End When the Vehicle Stops
Two items from overseas reporting this week carry training value for your team. First, after a May 31 vehicle ramming at a West Bank bus stop injured two teenagers before an armed soldier nearby killed the attacker, analysts repeated a point worth drilling: vehicle rammings are low-complexity, high-casualty attacks, and perpetrators often transition to a firearm or edged weapon once the vehicle stops. If your team trains on vehicle threats, the response can’t end when the car does, and that’s exactly where the Eliminate phase of the RACE framework comes in.
VIOLENT CRIME
Teen Opens Fire at Catholic Parish Festival — Greenwood, Indiana
On Friday, June 5, a 16-year-old male from Marion County fired several rounds during an argument between groups of juveniles at the Our Lady of the Greenwood Summer Festival, near Meridian Street and U.S. 31 in Greenwood, Indiana. A 15-year-old boy was struck in the foot, apparently by a ricochet off the pavement near the church parking lot, and was treated for a non-life-threatening injury. An off-duty Indiana State Police trooper driving past witnessed the shooting, activated his lights and in-car camera, and helped capture the suspect after the teen fled to a car in a nearby strip mall lot. Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said the shooter was standing outside the festival area yelling at kids inside before pulling the gun, and a second person was hit in the hand by a spent round without injury. The suspect is in juvenile detention, and the case has been forwarded to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office. The parish consulted with the Archdiocese, local authorities, and its security teams and reopened the festival the next afternoon with added security.
🛡️ My thoughts: Violence at Catholic festivals during the summer vacation months is not a one off. You’ll see another one below. Last year, there were several. This continues to happen. Why? There’s a variety of factors and you should just pay attention that it is a trend. You should be conducting threat awareness by looking for armed individuals (take our assessing threats course below) and looking for gang clothing, arguments brewing, etc, and be quick to eject people that can’t follow the basic rules. To be honest here, the Catholic church needs to realize this is happening and needs to step up to protect attendees.
Man Arrested After Threatening to Attack Catholic Church and School — Broomall, Pennsylvania
Police in Marple Township, Pennsylvania arrested Christopher Henderson, 37, of Exton, on Tuesday, June 9 after he posted on Facebook that he was driving to St. Pius X Catholic Church in Broomall, writing that he was sending everyone there to hell. Mass was underway and the parish school was in session at the time, and multiple community members who saw the post called police, who secured the church while Newtown Township officers stopped Henderson’s vehicle on West Chester Pike before he arrived. Officers had already contacted Henderson at St. Pius X the previous Sunday over a similar post, and during that encounter he asked an officer whether he came to every Mass before remarking that you never know when somebody is going to come shoot the place up. Henderson is charged with felony terroristic threats and is held on $500,000 cash bail, with a psychological evaluation ordered and a ban from entering Marple Township except for court. The police chief credited the community reports with stopping a tragedy before it happened. Source
🛡️ My thoughts: This is called leakage. Leakage is when a bad actor, or a lone wolf attacker, puts out publicly what they're going to do. When we see leakage, we need to act on it immediately. People tend to make excuses for the person, saying things like, "They're just venting." This is why we have an intelligence officer on every security team. It is their job to use keywords like their church name to search for anybody talking about what they're going to do and to look for leakage like this.
Man Shot in Gunfight Outside Church Hosting Gun Violence Prevention Meeting — Richmond, Virginia
A man was wounded on Tuesday, June 9 when gunfire broke out in an alley near St. Peter’s Church in Richmond’s East End, shortly before city leaders gathered at the church for a planned gun violence prevention meeting. More than two dozen rounds were fired from multiple guns near the church and a nearby convenience store around 2:30 p.m. Police found one victim with non-life-threatening wounds to his leg, and he was not cooperating with investigators. The meeting with the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform went forward directly after the shooting, and Richmond’s mayor told reporters the irony was not lost on him. Source
🛡️ My thoughts: Twenty-five rounds went flying in the middle of the afternoon right next to a church. Your church sits in a neighborhood, and whatever crime happens in that neighborhood is going to end up on your property eventually. Most teams only think about Sunday morning, but look at when this happened. Tuesday at 2:30 with a meeting going on inside. If your church has anything going on during the week, somebody needs to be paying attention outside. And talk through what you would do if shots go off in the parking lot or down the street during a service. Bullets don't care whose property they land on.
Teen Brawls Force Shutdown of Church Festival, 11 Arrested — Columbus, Ohio
On Friday, June 5, around 7 p.m., large fights broke out among groups of teenagers at the annual FunFest at St. Catharine Catholic Church on South Gould Road, on the Columbus side of the Bexley border. Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said an estimated 500 to 800 teenagers were at the event, and the abrupt closure triggered a chaotic dispersal with reports of criminal mischief at nearby businesses, including a reported robbery at a Bexley CVS. Initial reports of gunshots were investigated, and the city said no evidence of a weapon was found. Eleven people were arrested between the fighting and the surrounding incidents, and more than 100 Columbus and Bexley police cruisers and officers responded for crowd control. The church canceled the remainder of FunFest 2026, which had been scheduled to run through Saturday night, and noted the event is a major fundraiser whose costs were already spent.
Woman Charged With Threatening Mass Violence Near Church Preschool — Nashville, Tennessee
Linda Sloan Perry, 67, was booked into Nashville’s Downtown Detention Center on Sunday, June 7, on a felony charge of threatening to commit an act of mass violence. The charge stems from an April 24 incident at Belmont United Methodist Church, which operates a weekday school serving children from infancy through age 5. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Perry was near a fenced outdoor play area while children were outside, and a teacher moved a student away from the fence during the encounter. Perry is also being held on separate felony burglary and misdemeanor theft charges, though court records did not indicate whether those are related to the April incident.
🛡️ My thoughts: Take all threats seriously. Obtain a restraining order prohibiting them from all church properties and follow this case. Also, follow her social media and look for leakage (posting about wanting to conduct a future attack).
Pastor Arrested After Children Found Starved and Neglected in Her Home — Fort Pierce, Florida
Gwendolyn Denise Rolle, 59, a pastor at New Hope International Church in Fort Pierce, was arrested on five felony counts of child neglect after police responded to an anonymous tip on June 2. Investigators said Rolle had taken in five siblings, ages 4 to 9, including two non-verbal children, after their father left town, though she is not a licensed foster parent. According to the arrest affidavit, the children were denied access to the home’s only working bathroom, forced to use a bucket, made to bathe on the front porch with a garden hose behind a held-up sheet, and routinely sent to bed hungry or made to share single packets of ramen while Rolle’s own daughter received fast food. The affidavit also documented physical abuse, including a child bruised in the chest by a thrown shoe and routine slaps to the face. Neighbors and a tipster told police they had been afraid to report sooner because of Rolle’s standing in the community. The Florida Department of Children and Families removed the children from the home.
Matthew 18:6 (ESV):
“but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
SEX CRIMES
New Charges for Church Volunteer Accused of Abusing Multiple Children — Polk County, Texas
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday, June 3, that additional charges have been filed against Doyle Gene Hodge II, 40, of Onalaska, who volunteered at several churches in the county. The new charges include criminal solicitation of a minor and continuous sexual abuse of a child, with a further warrant issued for indecency with a child by sexual contact. Hodge was first arrested May 29 on a sexual assault of a child charge after multiple adults and juveniles reported ongoing abuse on May 27, and investigators identified at least five victims in the initial stage with more continuing to come forward. Court documents allege one victim said Hodge began assaulting her when she was 12, and that he threatened violence if the abuse was reported. His combined bond now exceeds $325,000, and the sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to contact CID Sgt. Kayla Hemperly at (936) 327-6810.
🛡️ My thoughts: Expect to find more victims at other churches. Pedophiles target churches because of our lack of oversight, our forgiving nature, a target rich environment, and a church tendency of burying crimes like this instead of notifying police. Make sure you have a two adult rule and monitor behavior for signs of grooming.
Pastor Who Also Drove a School Bus Charged With Sexual Battery and Grooming — Deshler, Ohio
Christopher Walter, 52, lead pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Deshler who also served Oakdale and New Beginnings United Methodist congregations, was arrested Tuesday, June 2, on one count of sexual battery, a second-degree felony, and one count of grooming, a first-degree misdemeanor. Walter simultaneously worked as a bus driver for Patrick Henry Local Schools, giving him daily contact with children in two separate institutional settings. The Henry County prosecutor said the sexual battery charge was filed under the statutory subsection that applies specifically because he is clergy. Bond was set at $30,000 with GPS monitoring, a protection order, and no contact with anyone under 18. The school district suspended him without pay, and the Northwestern Ohio Synod of the ELCA terminated his authorization to serve, with the bishop calling the allegations very distressing and serious. The investigation remains active.
ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES
Federal Hate Crime Charges Filed in 2025 Baptist Church Arson — Flint, Michigan
Federal prosecutors charged Billy Chambers, 63, of Flint, with arson, obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs by fire, and arson in commission of a federal felony for the August 30, 2025 fire at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church on Dupont Street. The criminal complaint, filed Friday, June 5, alleges surveillance video captured Chambers making repeated trips between a field east of the church and the building, breaking a window, then pouring liquid from a gas can wrapped in a trash bag into the opening before igniting it around 2:16 a.m. ATF agents executed a search warrant at his residence and seized clothing and shoes matching what the suspect wore on the video, and cell tower data placed his phone near the church minutes after the fire started. The fire forced the congregation out of its building for roughly two months. The U.S. Attorney called the case another attack against Christians, and Chambers faces a minimum of 15 years if convicted. He appeared in federal court Monday, June 8, and was temporarily detained pending a detention hearing.
🛡️ My thoughts: This is your reminder that you need a burglar AND a fire alarm and a 4k video system. It is the most basic security measure you can take.
Fire Guts Vacant Church Building, Arson Investigators Respond — Los Angeles, California
On Monday, June 8, a fire reported shortly after 5 a.m. heavily damaged a vacant two-story church building in the 10800 block of South Broadway in South Los Angeles, an address associated with Greater New Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. More than 60 firefighters fought the blaze defensively for about two hours before declaring a knockdown just after 7 a.m., and part of the roof collapsed. The building was vacant and undergoing construction at the time, and a neighbor said the church has been closed for roughly six or seven years with homeless individuals moving in, adding this was the second fire there. Arson investigators responded to the scene, and the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety is assessing the structure’s integrity. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.
VEHICLE COLLISIONS
Pickup Truck Crashes Through Church Wall, Two Hospitalized — Gaithersburg, Maryland
On Friday, June 5, shortly before 10 a.m., a Toyota Tacoma crashed into Seneca Creek Community Church at 13 Firstfield Road in Gaithersburg, collapsing a section of brick wall and ripping open part of the building’s facade. Gaithersburg police said the driver accidentally accelerated into the structure. Two adults inside the truck were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the church was evacuated as a precaution with no one inside hurt. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue described major structural damage, and the county building engineer and Department of Permitting Services were called to assess whether the building is safe. The church serves hundreds of families each week.
🛡️ My thoughts: Almost every week we have a collision into a church, a few times a year it is intentional. What would have happened if this occurred Sunday morning? Make sure you have strategically placed bollards to protect pedestrians and people inside of the church.
INTERNATIONAL
Catholic Bishop Shot Dead in His Residence — Quelimane, Mozambique
Bishop Osório Citora Afonso, 54, of the Catholic Diocese of Quelimane was found shot dead in a corridor of his episcopal residence in the early hours of Saturday, June 6. Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service said an undetermined number of assailants entered the residence and opened fire, striking the bishop in the chest, and no arrests have been made. Afonso, a Consolata missionary appointed to Quelimane in July 2025, was also serving as apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira and had recently spoken publicly about escalating Islamist insurgent violence in Cabo Delgado Province. Mozambique’s president called the death an irreparable loss, and Pope Leo XIV said he learned with sorrow of the grave act of violence. Investigators say the motive remains unknown.
🛡️ My thoughts: Mozambique has been popping off with violence against Christians. They have been in almost every edition for the last few months. Please keep this in mind when you are sending off or supporting missionaries.
Terrorists Issue Demands for Abducted Christian Students and Teachers — Oyo State, Nigeria
Terrorists identified with Ansaru, a Boko Haram splinter group, who abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, have reportedly issued demands for their release. The reported demands include the release of two detained commanders, a one billion naira ransom payable to an account in the Republic of Benin, two Hilux vehicles, and implementation of Sharia-related legislation, though security agencies have not publicly confirmed all of the reported demands. The abducted schools included Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and the group killed a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, in a video released days after the raid. In a new hostage video released Monday, June 8, the abductors directed a captive school principal to deny the ransom and Sharia reports, saying their only demand is the release of detained members. Rescue efforts and negotiations remain ongoing, and the Oyo state government has declined to disclose its strategy.
ADF Kills 24 Christians Days After Nearby Massacre — Mbau, Democratic Republic of the Congo
During the night of Tuesday, June 2, Allied Democratic Forces militants attacked the village of Mbau, about 12 miles from Beni City in eastern DRC, killing at least 24 Christians according to preliminary reports. A local pastor and his wife were among the victims. The attack came just days after a May 30 overnight assault nine miles away in the village of Ngadi that left 15 dead. The repeated strikes have intensified questions from residents about how the ISIS-aligned group continues to attack in an area under the protection of Congolese forces, Ugandan troops, and U.N. peacekeepers.