Authorities charged 18-year-old Omar Alkattoul of Sayreville, New Jersey, with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate and foreign commerce on or around November 1, according to a statement released by the justice department.
Alkattoul sent messages to a person on social media that contained a link to a manifesto document with alleged threats to attack synagogues and the Jewish community.
Law enforcement was called to assist in “mitigating” that alleged threat, according to Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy who said, “Thanks to the collaborative efforts among our Joint Terrorism Task Force Members, a potentially harmful situation was averted.”
No details were revealed about which New Jersey synagogues Alkattoul allegedly wanted to specifically target, but law enforcement, including extra patrols, were sent to synagogues and yeshivas across the state, local news station WABC-TV reported.
“No one should be targeted for violence or with acts of hate because of how they worship,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in the statement on Thursday. “Along with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, we acted swiftly to respond to the alleged threat.”
Court documents showed that the 18-year-old used a social media app to send a person a link to a document titled “When Swords Collide” and admitted to this individual that “it’s in the context of an attack on Jews.”
A second person also said that Alkattoul sent the document to “at least five other people” using a different social media app. No details were revealed about the connection between the teen and those individuals or the names of the social media apps he used to send out those messages.
“I am the attacker and I would like to introduce myself,” Alkattoul allegedly wrote in the manifesto, according to the justice department statement. The teen wrote the document as if the attack had already happened and went on to explain his alleged motive to target synagogues, stating that it is based on “hatred towards Jews and their heinous acts.”
A spokesperson with the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) told Newsweek that the agency looks for specific indicators such as “extremist ideology and a potential nexus to terrorism” when tracking these types of incidents.
“Under the rigorous criteria in place to determine a potential threat, a significant rise in antisemitic-related suspicious activity reporting has not been observed,” the spokesperson said.
Alkattoul is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court Thursday afternoon. He could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
“[The] NJOHSP has administered millions of dollars in both federal and state nonprofit security grant funding to those houses of worship demonstrating a high risk for terrorist attack to purchase target-hardening equipment and retain security personnel,” the spokesperson said about combating similar threats.
The spokesperson continued: “NJOHSP also oversees the New Jersey Suspicious Activity Reporting System, NJSARS, investigating each and every report submitted to determine if there’s a nexus to terrorism.
“Within that process, we work closely with the FBI, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, as well as county and local partners, to review suspected bias incidents reported. This ensures that the proper authorities thoroughly review, vet and investigate all incidents.”
Earlier this year, Malik Faisal Akram, a British man, took four people hostage in a standoff that lasted for hours at a Texas synagogue. Akram, who was reportedly armed, took a rabbi, and three others as hostages at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville. He was fatally shot later after the hostages were released. All four hostages were unharmed.
Newsweek reached out to New Jersey’s governor’s office for comment.
Update [11/18/2022] 11:17 A.M.: This story has been updated to include comments from a spokesperson with the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
