The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Feb. 28 that 19-year-old dual Israeli-American citizen Michael Ron David Kadar has been hit with multiple indictments for allegedly issuing bomb threats toward various Jewish organizations.
The indictments charge Kadar of sending bomb threats to both the Israeli embassy and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Washington, D.C. Kadar also faces up to 32 counts of issuing 245 bomb and shooting threats numerous Jewish organizations in Florida, including numerous Jewish Community Centers, Chabads, schools and even Orlando International Airport. The third indictment charges Kadar of providing false information to the police about a hostage situation in Georgia.
Kadar’s alleged threats resulted in “resulted in the temporary closure and evacuation or lockdown of the targeted facilities, and required law enforcement and emergency personnel to respond to and clear the area,” according to the DOJ. Additionally, the threats “caused fighter jets to scramble, planes to dump fuel and make emergency landings, large numbers of schools to evacuate, and numerous other chaotic consequences,” per the Times of Israel.
“When individuals target victims of their crimes based on who they are, what they believe, or how they worship, they target the bedrock principles on which our nation was founded,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “These alleged threats of violence instilled fear in the Jewish community and other communities across the country, and it is the Justice Department’s duty to make sure all Americans can live their lives without this type of fear.”
Kadar’s threats toward Jewish organizations are being treated as a hate crime and could face up to 20 years in prison for each one. He also faces up to 10 years in prison for each bomb threat and five years for the false information he provided to police in Georgia.
“Make no mistake, these threats were acts of anti-Semitism and deserve to be treated as a hate crime,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “They targeted Jewish institutions in order to stoke fear and anxiety, and put the entire Jewish community on high alert.”
In August 2017, an FBI affidavit reportedly accused Kadar using a platform called AlphaBay where he sold his services of issuing bomb threats.
“I email bomb threats to schools on your requests,” Kadar allegedly wrote on the site. “If you feel you need someone to do this job for you then this service is for you.”
His price ranged anywhere from $30 to $500, per the affidavit.
Kadar is currently being held in custody in Israel, where he faces 1,000 counts of various charges from a Tel Aviv District Court. His attorney has argued that Kadar was dealing with “a brain tumor” at the time he made the alleged threats and that he “is on the autistic spectrum,” per the Times of Israel.
