NJ Man Admits to Bringing Explosives to DC Cathedral During Supreme Court Event

A New Jersey resident has entered a guilty plea for carrying multiple homemade bombs to a Washington DC cathedral during preparations for a ceremony traditionally attended by Supreme Court justices. Police discovered anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic materials in his possession during the October arrest.

A New Jersey resident has entered a guilty plea for transporting multiple homemade explosive devices to a Washington DC cathedral that was preparing to host its traditional ceremony marking the beginning of the Supreme Court’s judicial term.

Louis Geri was taken into custody in October outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral as law enforcement officers were securing the perimeter ahead of the annual Red Mass celebration. While Supreme Court justices typically participate in this event, none attended the previous year’s service.

Authorities discovered documents in Geri’s possession that revealed hostile sentiments toward Catholic and Jewish communities, as well as animosity directed at the Supreme Court and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In other religious news, Germany’s iconic Cologne Cathedral will begin requiring entrance fees from tourists as church leadership grapples with escalating maintenance expenses. Officials cite inflation and increased staffing costs as driving factors behind the mounting expenses for preserving the historic structure. The massive twin-towered cathedral overlooks Cologne’s central train station along the Rhine River and serves as the city’s most recognizable feature. Work on the building commenced in 1248 and reached completion in 1880. The site attracts approximately six million annual visitors and earned UNESCO World Heritage designation in 1996.

Meanwhile, London authorities have detained four individuals suspected of conducting surveillance on Jewish communities on behalf of Iran. The Metropolitan Police report that the detained suspects include one Iranian citizen and three individuals holding dual British-Iranian citizenship, all accused of supporting foreign intelligence operations. Britain’s Campaign Against Anti-Semitism expressed appreciation for law enforcement’s intervention in the suspected scheme while criticizing government officials for inadequate response to Iranian threats. The organization stated: “The United Kingdom may not be acting against Iran but Iran is acting against us.” Anti-Semitic incidents throughout the UK have increased significantly in recent years.

Additionally, International Christian Concern is calling on the Trump administration to focus attention on the persecution of Christians across sub-Saharan Africa. While ICC has praised the president’s efforts to combat persecution in Nigeria, the organization emphasizes the need to maintain oversight of other concerning situations, particularly in Ethiopia. A recent ICC assessment states: “In nearly every corner of Ethiopia, Christians suffer violence. The conflicts vary in their sources, but the outcome too often ends the same way: death or displacement. Ethiopia has been a home to Christians for nearly the entire history of the church, going back to the book of Acts.”