ISIS Calls for Attacks on Christians
Plus two seperate shootings in NM and other violent crime to report this week
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TERRORISM/INTELLIGENCE
ISIS Media Threatens Pope Leo XIV and World Cup Venues
On June 1, the pro-ISIS Al-Imam Media Center released a poster threatening attacks on the FIFA World Cup and on Pope Leo XIV, captioned “Soon on June 11,” the day the tournament opens. The image showed the Pope bloodied and holding a World Cup ball in front of three Spanish stadiums he was reported to be planning to visit, in Madrid, Barcelona, and Las Palmas. ISIS messaging has repeatedly called for vehicle, edged-weapon, and firearms attacks on crowds at sporting events, fan zones, and watch parties. For your team, the takeaway is the raised threat to large Christian gatherings and public events through the summer, not a named U.S. congregation.
ISIS Calls for Attacks on Christians in the West
On May 30, the official ISIS media outlet Halummu released an English-language poster, produced by the pro-ISIS Hadm al-Aswar Foundation and titled “And Kill Them Wherever You Find Them.” It calls on followers to attack Christian and Jewish targets in Western countries on their own initiative, wherever they are, and it draws on a February speech by ISIS spokesman Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari. The poster names the methods plainly, knives, firearms, and vehicles, which are the low-skill, no-warning attacks a single motivated person can carry out against an open church campus with no cell and no plot to detect in advance. It holds up the man who shot a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025 as an example to copy, and points to the money Western cities spent on barriers and security for holiday events as proof the pressure is working. It also tells attackers to prepare in secret, which means the warning you get is surveillance and probing at your entrances and parking lot, not an announcement. MEMRI translated and reported the poster on May 31, and the full translation is available through its Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor. For your team, the takeaway is direct: ISIS is naming Christians as targets and telling lone followers to strike soft targets anywhere, with the same methods your active-threat plan already addresses.
IRGC Campaign Against U.S. Synagogues Continues
A federal grand jury in New York indicted Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a senior Kata’ib Hezbollah member tied to the IRGC, for his role in roughly twenty attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States through the front group HAYI. The case includes a disrupted plot against a Manhattan synagogue, with synagogues and Jewish institutions in Los Angeles and Scottsdale also identified as targets for arson and improvised explosive devices. He pled not guilty in Manhattan federal court on June 1, and the arrest of one operative does not retire the network or the intent behind it. With the United States and Iran still trading strikes, this campaign is likely to keep running on U.S. soil through criminal proxies, and counterterrorism analysts assess the IRGC’s targeting of Zionist interests can extend to organizations that fund or lobby for Israel, a definition that can include Christian Zionist congregations and ministries.
Manchester: Eighth Arrest in Synagogue Attack
UK counterterrorism police arrested a 49-year-old man on May 26 on suspicion of failing to disclose information about terrorist activity tied to the October 2, 2025 attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester. It was the eighth arrest connected to that attack. The case is a reminder that an attack on a congregation pulls in an extended support network, and that the investigation can run many months past the event.
Europe: Multiple Plots to Strike Jewish Communities
Three separate European cases this week point to sustained planning against Jewish communities. German authorities arrested a HAMAS member who had moved five pistols and ammunition meant to arm associates to assassinate Jewish or Israeli targets in Germany and Europe, and separately arrested a Syrian national for aiding the 2025 stabbing attack at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial. Norwegian police arrested two HAMAS-linked men in Bergen accused of arranging a weapons shipment for a future attack on a Jewish community, and Cypriot authorities held four Palestinian suspects over plans to target Israeli nationals. The common thread is organized, weapons-based planning against identifiable religious communities.
ISIS-Inspired Lone Actors in the U.S. and Europe
A federal grand jury in Missouri indicted a man on explosives charges tied to the ISIS-inspired January 1, 2025 vehicle attack in New Orleans. In Italy, police arrested a 20-year-old who praised ISIS attacks on Christians and the West, referenced the May 15 vehicle ramming in Modena, held bomb-making instructions, and was assessed to be close to acting. In Switzerland, an ISIS supporter stabbed three people at a train station in Winterthur. The shared profile is the lone actor using vehicles, knives, and homemade explosives against accessible targets, which is the same profile a church security team plans against.
Online Radicalization on Newer Platforms
Researchers identified roughly 120 accounts pushing pro-ISIS propaganda on UpScrolled, a newer social platform that markets itself as free of moderation. The content is easy to find through the platform’s search and hashtags and links out to other sites. Platforms built this way lower the barrier for the self-radicalization that produces lone-actor attacks on soft targets.
Iranian AI-Enabled Cyber Threat
The IRGC-linked group tracked as APT42 is using commercial AI tools to write phishing messages in fluent Hebrew and Arabic, build fake online personas that engage U.S. and Israeli targets over weeks, and speed up malware development, with Iran-aligned actors also preparing disruptive cyber operations against the World Cup and U.S. infrastructure. For a church, the exposure is the social engineering aimed at your staff and volunteers. Train your people to slow down on unexpected links, payment requests, and login prompts, and confirm anything financial through a second channel.
Dates to Watch in June
Several June dates historically draw attention from violent actors: the World Cup opening and the Washington, D.C. fan zone beginning June 11, the anniversary of the 2016 Pulse nightclub attack on June 12, the Islamic New Year on June 16 and 17, and the anniversary of the ISIS caliphate declaration on June 29. None is a specific threat to your congregation. They are worth weighing when you set posture and staffing for the month.
No State Charges in Cities Church Service Disruption — St. Paul, Minnesota
The St. Paul City Attorney’s Office announced this week that protesters who interrupted a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday, January 18, will not face state charges. City Attorney Irene Kao said prosecutors reviewed video footage, investigative reports, and other materials and determined the evidence was insufficient to meet the standard for charges under state statutes. Dozens of people were arrested after a livestreamed video showed a group interrupting the service by chanting, after learning that one of the church’s pastors also held a leadership position with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The U.S. Justice Department separately brought federal civil rights charges against 39 people, including former CNN journalist Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort. The church’s lead pastor criticized the decision not to file state charges.
🛡️ My thoughts: The state attorney said that there was insufficient evidence. They are giving tacit approval to target Christian churches. MN churches should pay attention to this and understand that after reviewing this incident, some police agencies and the state attorney are unwilling to protect you or enforce the law. This is not hyperbole. Their own words are showing us what they are willing to do or not do. The St.Paul PD showed up to the protest 30 minutes after it ended and the state says there isn’t enough evidence even though a blind man can see the crime occuring.
VIOLENT CRIME
Murder in Church Parking Lot — Clovis, New Mexico
A man was shot and killed Friday afternoon, May 29, in a Christian church parking lot in Clovis, New Mexico. Clovis police arrested a 41-year-old man the following day, Saturday, May 30, and charged him with murder in connection with the killing. Investigators identified the victim in a later update but have not detailed a motive. The shooting took place on the church campus itself rather than inside the building.
🛡️ My thoughts: almost all of your crime is going to start in the parking lot. This is where your first layer of security should be. This is where you should expect the trouble. If you are doing a good job, you’ll keep it from getting inside of the church. 70% of all violent crime happens in the parking lot. We also encourage you to have 4k video surveillance that is recorded. You can use this as a force multiplier and to help police in their investigations.
Synagogue Shot At and Jewish Community Center Attacked — Albuquerque, New Mexico
On June 2, Rex Crofton, 25, targeted Congregation Albert synagogue and a nearby Jewish Community Center in two separate incidents in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Police were called to the synagogue on Louisiana Boulevard NE around 4:30 p.m. after a 911 caller reported that a man had fired several rounds at the building, and officers found the front glass doors shattered. Crofton was charged with two counts of felony criminal damage to property, desecration of a place of worship, a hate-crime enhancement, and disorderly conduct, and was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on June 3. The FBI assisted, and the complaint states the case will be forwarded to federal authorities because it targeted Jewish religious institutions. Damage was estimated in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Man Shot Outside Church During Brother’s Funeral — Harlem, New York
A 36-year-old man was shot Saturday morning, May 30, around 9:30 a.m. while standing on West 140th Street across from New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Harlem, where he was attending his brother’s funeral. The victim was hospitalized in stable condition. Police reported an anti-violence event was taking place down the street at the time of the shooting. No arrest had been announced as of reporting.
🛡️ My thoughts: Here we are with another shooting at a funeral. If the person being eulogized has a criminal history or criminals are going to come attend the service, expect there to be problems. Anyone that wants to do arm to that criminal or his friends know exactly where they're going to be at a specific date and time.
Armed Kidnapping Attempt Outside Church Stopped by Witnesses — Port St. Lucie, Florida
Jose Tsu Zamora, 64, of North Miami, was arrested after he allegedly tried to kidnap his 74-year-old ex-girlfriend at gunpoint outside First United Methodist Church on Southwest Prima Vista Boulevard in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Sunday, May 31, around 10:49 a.m. Surveillance video captured the attempt, and witnesses stepped in to stop the attack. Zamora was jailed on charges including attempted kidnapping while armed with a firearm and battery on a person 65 years of age or older.
Armed Man Tries to Drag Woman From Church Parking Lot at Gunpoint
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83-Year-Old Churchgoer Slashed on Her Way to Church — Brooklyn, New York
Betty Ellerbe, 83, was slashed in the neck on Sunday morning, May 31, in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn as she was heading to church and hailing a taxi outside her apartment building. Prosecutors say the suspect, identified as Shawnee Moore, attacked her after she greeted him. Ellerbe was hospitalized, and the suspect was taken into custody and charged. Police described the attacker as a man she did not know.
🛡️ My thoughts: NYC has seen an explosion of incidents aimed at Christians and Jews. Please keep your head on a swivel if you are in NYC.
SEX CRIMES
Church Volunteer Hit With New Child Sex Charges — Polk County, Texas
A volunteer who served at several churches in Polk County, Texas, was arrested May 29 after multiple adults and juveniles reported ongoing sexual abuse beginning May 27. On Wednesday, June 3, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced new charges including criminal solicitation of a minor and continuous sexual abuse of a child, and said an additional warrant was issued. The suspect’s volunteer roles across local congregations placed him in proximity to the reported victims. The case originated in Onalaska.
🛡️ My thoughts: groomers seek out churches because of our forgiving nature and are welcoming attitude. We make it easy prey for them. Make sure you have a policy in place protecting children in your congregation with the two adult role and background checks at a minimum.
Former Youth Pastor Arrested for Child Molestation — Thurston County, Washington
A former youth pastor at Highlands Community Church was arrested in late May in Thurston County, Washington, on suspicion of second-degree child molestation and first-degree voyeurism. The suspect, identified as Derek Nelson, was scheduled for arraignment but had it delayed to June 17. The voyeurism count indicates allegations of recording in addition to the molestation charge. The youth pastor role placed him in direct contact with minors at the church.
🛡️ My thoughts: remember that your pastor is more likely to molest a child than for you to have an active shooter at your church. What are you doing to protect the church from groomers vs. what you are doing to protect against an active shooter? I’m not saying to not be ready for an active shooter. I am saying that you need to up your game in making groomers uncomfortable and to not target your children.
Pastor Charged With Sexual Battery of a Minor — Deshler, Ohio
A pastor in Deshler, Ohio, was arrested and charged with sexual battery of a minor, along with a misdemeanor grooming count. The charges were filed in Napoleon, in Henry County. The arrest was reported this week. The grooming charge points to alleged conduct intended to build access to the victim.
ARSON/FIRES
Nugent Church Destroyed by Fire — Jones County, Texas
Nugent Church in Jones County, Texas was a total loss after a fire late Wednesday night, June 3. Crews responded to the church on the 6400 block of its road, and the building could not be saved. Authorities had not stated a cause as of reporting, and no injuries were noted.
🛡️ My thoughts: this is your weekly reminder that you need a burglar alarm and a fire alarm and a 4K video system.
INTERNATIONAL
Christians Killed and Churches Burned in Renewed Attacks — East Arsi, Ethiopia
A new cycle of armed attacks in the East Arsi zone of Ethiopia left at least nine Christians dead and a century-old church burned, according to local reporting in early June. Additional reporting cited an attack on Kara Kuftena Medhanealem Church and stated that church property was set on fire, with residents seeking refuge in forests. A member of the Holy Synod said at least 13 Orthodox Christians were among those affected. The zone has faced a repeated pattern of mass casualties and displacement targeting Orthodox Christians.
🛡️ My thoughts: Many churches, including mine, run missions in Ethiopia. Please include this incident in their intelligence briefing before they leave.
Christians Injured in Attack on Prayer Gathering — Chhattisgarh, India
Several worshippers were injured in an attack on a Christian prayer gathering in Chhattisgarh, India, reported on Sunday, May 31. Those injured included a man identified as Mandavi and his pregnant wife, whose injuries drew particular concern. The assault targeted believers gathered for worship. The incident adds to a pattern of attacks on Christian gatherings in the region.
🛡️ My thoughts
31 House Church Members Sentenced in Coordinated Crackdown — China
Chinese authorities sentenced 31 people, including an elderly Christian, in what was described as the largest coordinated prosecution of house church members, reported this week. The prosecutions targeted members of unregistered congregations. The sentences followed a coordinated government action against the house church network.
Keith, thanks so much for putting this together for everyone. It's very helpful to have a big picture of what's going on not only in our country but in the world.
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