(JTA) – The FBI convened a round table meeting of leaders of Muslim, Jewish and Christian groups to discuss means of preventing bias-based attacks on religious institutions. The June 18 event at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., appeared to be the first of its kind; the FBI has in the past convened similar forums for Jewish groups. 

A session was dedicated to identifying potential attackers in one’s midst. A special agent broke down data analyzing 63 recent active shooting incidents. There was no single warning sign, although a number of factors were shared by a majority of the attackers, including being male (94 percent), single (57 percent) and having mental health issues (62 percent). Kerry Sleeper, the FBI’s assistant director for partner engagement, advised participants to watch the news for developments that could portend threats. He noted, for instance, with rising tensions in the Persian Gulf between the United States and Iran, the likelihood of attacks stateside by Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist group aligned with Iran, was increasing.