2017 Jewish Community Center bomb threats
In early 2017, a wave of more than 100 bomb threats were made against Jewish Community Centers in the United States. Two arrests have been made in connection with the threats and investigations are ongoing.[1]
Theories
According to a January 2017 article by Slate's Elissa Strauss, the threats were the responsibility of the alt-right who viewed them as "a practical joke".[2] The same month, Jerry Silverman of the Jewish Federations of North America said the threats were part of a "coordinated effort" to intimidate American Jews.[3] In February, during an interview on CNN, U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler said that some supporters of Donald Trump were responsible for the threats.[4]
In an op-ed for the Baltimore Sun, deputy editor Tricia Bishop said there was probably no specific group or person responsible for the threats but, rather, a growing attitude of racial intolerance was the root cause of the incidences. She implored readers to "stand up ... before it's your children they come for".[5]
Suspects
In March 2017, two persons were arrested on separate charges of making a number of the bomb threats:
- Juan M. Thompson, a former journalist for The Intercept, was charged with responsibility for at least eight of the incidents.[6] According to media reports, Thompson had called in the threats in an attempt to frame a woman whom he had previously dated.[7] According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the woman had been the subject of previous harassment by Thompson, which included an alleged attempt by him to falsely report her for possession of child pornography.[8] On June 13, 2017, Thompson pleaded guilty to sending bomb threats to Jewish community centers.[9]
- An unidentified 19-year-old Israeli-American man was arrested in March in Ashkelon, Israel and charged with responsibility for "dozens" of the threats.[10] The man had earlier been rejected from enlistment in the Israeli Army due to mental health issues.[1] According to Israeli police, the man had used "advanced technologies" to disguise his voice and mask the fact the calls were originating from Israel.[10] The man's defense attorney said he has a brain tumor, which may have influenced his behavior.[11] In April 2017 he was charged in an Israeli court with several crimes including an attempt to extort a United States senator, "publishing false reports causing public panic, conspiring to commit a crime, hacking computers to commit a crime, and violations of money-laundering laws". The indictment alleges that he threatened "2,000 different institutions around the world, including the Israeli embassy in Washington, the Israeli consulate in Miami, schools, malls, police stations, hospitals and airlines." In the same month he faced a similar indictment in a Florida court which included 28 crimes.[12]
See also
References
- 1 2 Shapiro, Emily (March 23, 2017). "Jewish Israeli-American man arrested in connection to bomb threats against Jewish centers". ABC News. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ↑ Strauss, Elissa (January 19, 2017). "The JCC Bomb Threats Confirm That Jewish Parents Are Right to Be Afraid". Slate. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ↑ Smith, Mitch (January 9, 2017). "Anonymous Bomb Threats Rattle Jewish Centers Across Eastern U.S.". New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ↑ "4th Wave of Bomb Threats Hit 11 Jewish Community Centers Nationwide". Democracy Now. March 23, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ↑ Bishop, Tricia (March 2, 2017). "We're to blame for the bomb threats on babies". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ↑ "Man held over US Jewish centre threats". BBC. March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ↑ Golshan, Tara (Mar 3, 2017). "The first arrest made in connection to JCC bomb threats was about settling a personal score". Vox. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ↑ Green, Emma (March 3, 2017). "The FBI Arrests a Man for Making Bomb Threats Against Jewish Institutions". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ↑ Bekiempis, Victoria (June 13, 2017). "Juan Thompson pleads guilty to anti-Semitic bomb threats". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- 1 2 Beaumont, Peter (March 23, 2017). "Israeli teenager arrested over bomb threats to US Jewish targets". The Guardian. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ↑ "Teen arrested over bomb threats". Yahoo! News. March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ↑ "JCC Bomb Hoaxer Indicted in Israel; Charged With Threatening to Kill Ex-Pentagon Official's Kids", Haaretz, April 24, 2017