Israeli-American Suspect in Jewish Center Bomb Threats Charged in U.S.

The Israeli-American man arrested in March as the primary suspect in a series of bomb threats against Jewish community centers and other institutions throughout the U.S. has been charged in America, the Justice Department announced on Friday.

Michael Ron David Kadar, 18, faces charges in federal courts in Florida and Georgia. Kadar is accused of phoning in multiple bomb threats and active shooter threats to several Jewish community centers in Florida. No explosives were found, but many of the calls caused temporary closure, evacuation or lockdown of facilities and stoked fears across the U.S.

The string of threats, which numbered around 120 since Jan. 9, led to criticism of the White House for not denouncing them quickly enough. The White House eventually condemned the threats in February.

“Today’s charges into these violent threats to Jewish Community Centers and other represent this Department’s commitment to fighting all forms of violent crime,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “These threats of violence instilled terror in Jewish and other communities across this country and our investigation into these acts as possible hate crimes continues.”

Kadar was charged with making threatening calls to Jewish community centers, conveying false information to police in Georgia and cyberstalking. The investigation into the threats continues.