US officials alert religious groups on antisemitism, Islamophobia threats

The U.S. government issued security guidance for faith-based communities on Wednesday as the country faces a terrorism threat level so elevated it prompted the FBI director to say he sees “blinking lights everywhere.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommendations are designed to protect against threats amid heightened antisemitism and Islamophobia since the Oct. 7…

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Sentencing hearing Wednesday for man in Austin synagogue arson case

The man who pled guilty in the 2021 arson of an Austin synagogue will face a sentencing hearing Wednesday. Franklin Barrett Sechriest pleaded guilty in April to arson and hate crime damage to a religious property. In October 2021, arson investigators responded to a fire that started on the ground outside of Congregation Beth Israel…

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Two South Carolina Men Charged with Hate Crimes for Bias-Motivated Armed Robberies Targeting Hispanic Victims

A federal grand jury in Columbia, South Carolina, returned an indictment today charging two South Carolina men with hate crimes in connection with a string of bias-motivated armed robberies targeting Hispanic victims. According to court documents, beginning in January 2021 and continuing through February 2021, Charles Antonio Clippard, 26, and Michael Joseph Knox, 28, both…

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A ‘rogue’s gallery’ of threats made against US since Hamas attack on Israel, FBI Director Christopher Wray says

Since Hamas’ surprise terror attack against Israel on Oct. 7, law enforcement has seen a “rogue’s gallery” of calls for attacks against the U.S. from Hezbollah to Al Qaeda, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday. “Given those calls for action, our most immediate concern is that individuals or small groups will draw inspiration from the…

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