A dual-citizenship Israeli teenager was arrested for making a string of bomb threats to JCCs and other Jewish institutions in the US and other countries, Israeli Police announced Thursday.
Israel Police tweeted that a 19-year-old resident of southern Israel was responsible for the phone threats, as well as for blackmail attempts. Israel police cooperated with the FBI and international police departments to find the culprit.
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement: “Today’s arrest in Israel is the culmination of a large-scale investigation spanning multiple continents for hate crimes against Jewish communities across our country. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs. I commend the FBI and Israeli National Police for their outstanding work on this case.”
More than 120 Jewish centers across America have been hit with bomb threats since the start of 2017, some of the calls being made in a wave which police suspected was achieved using an automation device.
Earlier this month, US authorities arrested journalist Juan Thompson believing he was responsible for eight of the threatening calls.
President Trump condemned the threats as well as the rising anti-Semitism in the US.