Man who made New Jersey synagogue threat identified

Federal U.S. agents on Friday identified the man they believed posted a “broad” online threat against synagogues in New Jersey the day prior. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it received credible information of a threat to synagogues in the northeastern state, a warning that prompted some municipalities to send extra police officers to guard the places of worship.

While the nature of the threat of vague, the Newark FBI urged synagogues to “take all security precautions to protect your community and facility.”

The man – whose identity was not immediately released – was questioned by law enforcement, who don’t think he was planning to carry out a specific plot, AP News cited an unnamed law enforcement official as saying.

He told agents that he was bullied in the past and harbored anger toward Jewish people. 

On Friday, the FBI tweeted, “The source of the threat “no longer poses a danger to the community.”

“We will not be indifferent. We will remain vigilant. We will take any and every threat with the utmost seriousness and we will stand… shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish organization,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

Public warnings about nonspecific threats against the Jewish population aren’t unusual in the New York City metropolitan area, and many turn out to be false alarms. 

However, the region has seen deadly attacks, including firebombings of two synagogues in 2012 and a fatal stabbing attack at a rabbi’s home in 2019.

New Jersey’s Attorney General Matt Platkin said the state has been recording bias and hate incidents since 1994, and through August of this year, saw more than 1,400 incidents – compared to a record-high 1,900 last year.