Terrorist visit feared at Illinois school

“Middle-Eastern” men raise terrorist visit fears at Illinois school, Catholic Parish.

The National Terror Alert Response Center reported Friday, Feb. 22, on an ongoing investigation into a suspicious visit to last Sunday, Feb. 16, Mass, by Arab-looking men with cameras.

St. Pius X Church conducts Jordan Catholic School, Rock Island, Illinois, and Rev. Mike Schaab confirmed a letter sent home with students on Wednesday outlined the ongoing concern.

The “Several men of apparently Middle Eastern origin” visited with cameras and took pharaohs inside the church and around its exterior, according to Rev. Schaab.

Parishioners contacted police with the license plate of one of the cars driven by the men, but Capt. Scott Harris said tracing the plate has been unsuccessful.

The plate numbers ran by police have turned up no record, but officers are checking different variations and sequences which may lead back to the green Ford reported by parishioners, he said.

Capt. Harris said additional patrols were provided during the past weekend church services. They have also contacted the Statewide Intelligence Terrorism Center which will record the matter and provide feedback if there are similar incidents reported in the state.

He said this does not mean the suspicious activity was related to terrorism, it is simply an investigative tool used to record incidents and provide data for comparison.

Both Capt. Harris and Rev. Schaab emphasized these efforts are precautionary.

“… I ask all parishioners of St. Pius X Church and parents of students at Jordan Catholic School to be alert rather than simply alarmed,” Rev. Schaab wrote in his parent letter.

Rev. Schaab said the letter addressed a lot of people’s concerns although many would like more information about the vague situation. Unfortunately, he said unless officers are able to uncover any further information, the situation remains in “limbo.”

Rev. Schaab said to his knowledge no one approached the men about their visit. He said this is because the men came in after the worship service began and left just before everything was over.

However, he said this sequence of events is debated, with some parishioners reporting the photographing took place during the service and others saying it was before and after.

Rev. Schaab said he does not know what would lead parishioners to describe the men as Middle Eastern as he was not present at the Mass and said he does not think anyone could definitively report their nationality.

He said the parish council which oversees all of St. Pius X facilities have called for an updated security survey.

In the coming days he said security experts will survey all the buildings including the school during the day and at night to observe how security precautions are being followed and determine any glitches.

Isn’t it interesting that a visit by terrorist-looking men with cameras could spark a drive for an all-out renovation of security measures.

If Christian Action Network readers know the threat better than most, they might encourage those they know in the Rock Island area to be sure about getting any possible information they might have straight to the police.

Authorities are asking those with leads regarding the incident to call the Rock Island Police Department at 309/732-2677.

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