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Israeli Judge Convicts Man on Charges of Threatening U.S. Jewish Groups

(New York Times) Niraj Chokshi - An Israeli court convicted a 19-year-old man on Thursday in connection with threats made against numerous Jewish groups in the U.S. as well as organizations and individuals around the world. The court withheld the man's name because some of the crimes were committed before he was an adult, but the U.S. Justice Department identified him in indictments this year as Michael Ron David Kadar, a dual American and Israeli citizen who was born in Israel and lives in Ashkelon. Judge Zvi Gurfinkel of the Tel Aviv district youth court said that the man had threatened thousands of people between 2015 and early 2017 "with acts of terror and murder that would be executed in an area filled with people, and that these acts would be executed by explosion or shooting and would harm many." The targets included "airlines, airports, schools, malls, police stations, hospitals" and other institutions. The threats raised fears of growing anti-Semitism in the U.S. The judge ruled that Kadar was fit to stand trial despite having received an autism diagnosis. According to American documents, Kadar made threats against Jewish community centers, schools and historic institutions, as well as the Anti-Defamation League's offices in Washington and New York. Kadar made at least 245 threatening phone calls in the first two months of 2017 alone, according to the FBI. The phone calls often warned of bombs in the building or an impending mass shooting, resulting in evacuations, lockdowns and the closing of buildings and offices.
2018-06-29 00:00:00
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