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Ohio teen arrested for alleged threat against New York synagogue

“This is a stark reminder of the threats that we face as a country, and faith-based community every day,” said Michael Masters, head of the Secure Community Network.

Secure Community Network. Credit: Courtesy.
Secure Community Network. Credit: Courtesy.

An Ohio teen who allegedly made terrorist threats against a northern New York State synagogue was arrested last week.

The Secure Community Network’s operation command center received information on March 28 about a threatening message on the social-media platform Telegram. The message included a synagogue address, according to SCN, a nonprofit under the auspices of the Jewish Federations of North America and Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

SCN and the Jewish Federation of Central New York alerted the local FBI field office, leading to the arrest of the 15-year-old, whose name has not been released.

“We meet, we prepare, and we plan for ‘when,’ ” said Susan DeMari, community security coordinator for the Federation. “Having witnessed and been a part of the seamless and collaborative effort amongst law-enforcement agencies sharing information clearly reaffirms the need, time and effort vested by all involved.”

Michael Masters, national director and CEO of SCN, noted that the coordination between groups has been successful. “This is a stark reminder of the threats that we face as a country and faith-based community every day,” he said of this and other recent threats.

The posthumous recognition of the former president of Daystar Television Network comes at a time when mainstream media are highly critical of Israel.
The Israeli military grounds attack and munition-dropping drones as it investigates whether a technical malfunction or enemy interference caused the tragedy.
“When someone gets out of the ambulance and says, ‘May God punish Hamas,’ while I’m filming, the people around him turn their camera away,” he said.
“We will continue to hunt down Hamas commanders and operatives, target its sources of funding and destroy its terrorist infrastructure,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said.