(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) Members of a Catholic parish that celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass witnessed what they believed to be FBI agents snooping around cars a month after the FBI’s anti-Catholic memo had been leaked.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, the church in question, is in Linden, Va., which is 63 miles west of Washington D.C., according to The Daily Signal.
Two witnesses, who spoke to The Daily Signal on the condition of anonymity, reported that they saw two cars drive through Immaculate Heart’s parking lot slowly, as if they were snooping on parked vehicles and writing down license plates.
These witnesses reported two separate instances of this behavior between Feb. 12 and Feb. 26.
“I saw a black Ford car with dark tinted windows and a knoblike antenna on the top; it was driving very slowly by all the cars, and I could see a laptop in the center front,” the first witness told The Daily Signal. “I could not see the person inside, and no one ever got out.”
The first witness added that as soon as the driver noticed they were being observed, they left the parking lot. The second witness provided an eyewitness account involving another car.
“I saw a white [Chevrolet] Tahoe car, with very tinted windows and lots of antennas, driving slowly through the parking lot,” he said. “[The driver] Looked like a male. He had an open laptop in the middle of the car, not sure if he was typing, as the window was very dark.”
Unlike the first account, the second account does not report the second vehicle noticed that it was observed.
“He never got out of the car, but by the time I saw him, he was on his way out, and drove back towards the highway after pulling through,” the second witness said. “[I am] Not sure how long he was out there, as we were all inside.”
The second witness reported that the vehicle’s timing was such that it minimized its chances of being seen.
“Everyone else was still inside the chapel [as the car exited the parking lot], so he must have been going around while we were all inside at Mass/catechism.”
Neither witness reported seeing the driver exit the vehicle.
The second witness explained that he suspects the FBI of snooping on the parking lot. However, because he never saw the driver exit the vehicle, the suspicion could not be confirmed.
The FBI denied that its Washington Field Office had any knowledge of the activity, according to LifeNews.
The Front Royal Police Department, which covers Sacred Heart, did not respond to a request for comment.
These events occurred about a month after the FBI published its internal memo directing its agents to establish sources inside Catholic churches. The memo was condemned by 20 attorneys general.
