Israeli police arrest suspect in connection to JCC bomb threats

Israeli police have arrested a suspect in connection to the bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) in the U.S.

A 19-year-old Israeli Jewish man was arrested as a primary suspect in connection to the threats, The Associated Press reported.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Thursday the suspect is “the guy who was behind the JCC threats.”

But he said the man’s motives were not known.

{mosads}The man, who also reportedly made threats in New Zealand and Australia, used technology to hide where the calls came from.

“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,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

“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.” 

Several waves of bomb threats have been reported since the beginning of the year at JCCs across the country.

Earlier this month, all 100 senators signed a letter demanding action in response to the wave of anti-Semitic bomb threats.

In the letter, the senators said they were writing to “underscore the need for swift action with regard to the deeply troubling series of anonymous bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers (JCCs), Jewish Day Schools, Synagogues and other buildings affiliated with Jewish organizations or institutions across the country.”

A group of senators also sent a letter pushing the Department of Homeland Security to commit to more security funding for nonprofits after the recent spate of threats to Jewish Community Centers.

The group asked to fund the nonprofit security grant program at $50 million to help “meet these increased threats.”

Updated at 10:08 a.m.