He allegedly sent at least six people a manifesto through social media on Nov. 1 in which he identified as a Muslim and threatened to attack a synagogue based on a motive of “hatred towards Jews,” the U.S. Department of Justice says.
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022.One week after receiving a broad threat to synagogues in New Jersey, a man from Middlesex County was arrested Thursday morning and faces up to five years in prison, officials said.
Omar Alkattoul, 18, from Sayreville, N.J., allegedly sent at least six people a manifesto through social media on Nov. 1 in which he identified as a Muslim and threatened to attack a synagogue based on a motive of “hatred towards Jews,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He was scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court on Thursday afternoon.
Alkattoul was charged with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate and foreign commerce, the department said. “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 a statement. “There is nothing the U.S. attorney’s office takes more seriously than threats to our communities of faith and places of worship. Protection of these communities is core to this office’s mission, and this office will devote whatever resources are necessary to keep our Jewish community and all New Jersey residents safe.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, law enforcement searched Alkattoul’s iPhone on Nov. 4, when they allegedly confirmed he had sent the threat to several people.
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