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“Most Terrorists Are Terrifyingly Normal,” Says Former Intelligence Officer

In a wide-ranging interview on The James Altucher Show, former military intelligence officer and court expert on terrorism, Tom Quiggin, talked about the psychological aspects of a terrorist and other topics that have bearing, not only on national security, but which can also be adapted to help inform personal self-defense and church security.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]

The big take-away of this conversation is Quiggin’s warning that terrorists (and anyone with nefarious intentions) can easily be lost in a crowd, appearing to the average person to be normal and innocent. As a self-defense reminder, it’s an ominous admonition to remain ever vigilant and situationally aware to sharpen your skill of discernment so you’re prepared to handle potential threats.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Situational Awareness: 14 Ways to Walk Like You Drive ]

Here are some highpoints of the interview:

By semperverus
Posted on 12/21/202312/29/2024

Emergency Preparedness Resource Links

Resource Links | Active Shooter Response Videos

RESOURCE LINKS

SemperVerus articles on Church Security
CEN: Christian Emergency Network website
CEN: Why are Churches “Soft Targets”?
CEN: Active Threat News
CEN: Protecting Churches from Vandalism
CEN: Protecting Your Privacy

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

CISA: Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency website
CISA: Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency Faith-Based Community website
CISA: Active Shooter Preparedness
CISA: Physical Security Performance Goals for Faith-Based Communities (2023)
CISA: Houses Of Worship Security Self-Assessment Tool
CISA: Protecting Houses of Worship
CISA: Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship Security Guide (2021)
CISA: Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship Security Guide (2020)
CISA: House of Worship Security Fact Sheet
CISA: Securing Public Gatherings
CISA: Physical Location Security
CISA: Fire As A Weapon
CISA: Employee Vigilance Through the Power of Hello
CISA: Insider Threat Mitigation Resources and Tools
CISA: School Safety
CISA: K-12 School Security Guide Product Suite
CISA: Secure Tomorrow Series Toolkit
CISA: Stop Ransomware

By semperverus
Posted on 12/08/202303/17/2024
1 Comment on Emergency Preparedness Resource Links

DHS Outlines Steps Houses of Worship Can Take To Protect Themselves

To “mitigate the threat of targeted violence and prepare for potential incidents” against churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released Dec. 6, 2023 the PDF guide, Physical Security Performance Goals for Faith-Based Communities, which outlines measures “faith-based communities” can take to protect themselves from current vicious tensions.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Book Review: Defending the Flock ]

This guide comes as reported hate crimes have spiked since the onset of the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

DHS emphasized in its 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment that the danger of violence from individuals radicalized in the United States will “remain high . . . marked by lone offenders or small group attacks that occur with little warning.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]

The 16-page document examines threats and vulnerabilities to provide targeted strategies organized by the functional categories of Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. It also includes a glossary of security-related words and phrases, and links to multiple resources under each category. Here are some of the guide’s recommendations:

SemperVerus Helps You Be Authentic : The 2023 Word of the Year

Merriam-Webster logo The craving for authenticity in our internet culture of bogosity and the breakdown of society reflected in deepfakes, post-truth, situational ethics, “your-truth-is-not-my-truth,” and artificial intelligence, has resulted in Merriam-Webster declaring authentic its Word of the Year, based on the high-volume lookup data during 2023 on the dictionary’s website, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media.

Among the other highly searched words in the dictionary’s 2023 data, is deepfake: “an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said.”

Authentic has a number of meanings, including not false and not imitation, and its synonyms include real, actual, legitimate, pure, reliable, and true.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Situational Awareness: Spiritual Self-Defense ]

SemperVerus is here to help you “stay true to what is right” (1 Timothy 4:16 NLT) by adhering to the teachings of Scripture; as Jesus prayed to God the Father, “Use the truth to make them holy. Your word is truth” (John 17:17 NIrV).

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness: How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible? ]

Personalize the following pledge and constantly remind yourself of it by wearing the SemperVerus^® waterproof flexible rubber inspirational wristband.