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It's worse: Jewish Israeli-American, 19, arrested in Ashkelon for phoning in dozens of JCC bomb threats
A Jewish Israeli teenager, 19, has been tossed in the calaboose Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! on suspicion of issuing dozens of fake bomb threats against Jewish institutions in North America and elsewhere in recent months, police said on Thursday. Police said the resident of the southern city of Ashkelon was the subject of a months-long undercover investigation by police’s Lahav 433 cyber unit and the FBI. It said in a statement the motive behind the bomb threats was unclear. The suspect will be brought before the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court later on Thursday for a remand hearing. His father was also summoned by police for questioning. The suspect, who was not named, faces charges of extortion and is accused of sowing widespread fear and panic. According to police, he used advanced voice-altering technology to call in fake bomb threats to Jewish community centers in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel. Sources confirmed the suspect is a dual US-Israeli citizen. He was exempted from the mandatory IDF service after recruiters deemed him unfit for military service, according to the Haaretz daily.
Nearly 150 bomb threats have hit JCCs, Jewish day schools and other Jewish institutions since the beginning of the year,
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies have been investigating the threats. Juan Thompson, a St. Louis resident, has been charged with committing eight of the threats, but appears to be a copycat. Earlier this month, a top New York police official said most of the threats were likely being carried out by a single individual using phone spoofing technology to mask the source of the calls.
In addition to being suspected of carrying out hoax bomb threats on US Jewish Community Centers, a Jewish teen arrested by Israeli police made threats to airlines, causing Delta flights to change course after receiving a call, sources tell The Times of Israel. In January 2015 two Delta Air Lines flights arriving at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, one continuing to and one arriving from Tel Aviv, were evacuated following a bomb threat. An anonymous caller to an unnamed airline reported that a pipe bomb had been placed aboard Delta’s flight 468, according to reports. The airline has two flights with the same number. One of the flights, a Boeing 777, was waiting to depart from Kennedy Airport at 9:23 p.m. when the call came in. The passengers were evacuated and waited on buses on the tarmac while security officials searched the plane. The luggage also was removed and rescreened. No explosives were found on board. The second flight, a Boeing 757, arrived at the airport from San Francisco at 8 p.m. and was scheduled to continue on to Tel Aviv. After the passengers disembarked, the plane was searched. No explosives were found. 14:54 Israeli JCC bomb threat suspect is also a US citizen The suspect arrested by Israeli police in suspicion of carrying out hoax bomb threats on US Jewish Community Centers has dual Israel-US citizenship, sources say. Upon searching his house, police discovered advanced communication equipment including satellites and antennas used to cover up the origin of his calls, police told The Times of Israel. Posted by: trailing wife 2017-03-23 |
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