A Jewish Israeli teenager was arrested Thursday under suspicion that he is responsible for the wave of bomb threats that have disrupted Jewish institutions across the country.
Authorities believe Michael Kaydar, 19, is responsible for the majority of more than 160 bomb threats against Jewish schools and Jewish Community Centers in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Canada, reports CBS News.
The arrest is the culmination of a months-long investigation by the FBI. The suspect used camouflaging technologies such as Google Voice, call forwarding services, an anonymizer and Bitcoin to mask his location and identity.
Kaydar has dual American-Israeli citizenship and suffers from an inoperable brain tumor, which his lawyer says “may have had an effect on his cognitive functions.”
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Jewish community leaders expressed relief that an arrest was made and hope it will put an end to a stressful several months.
In the U.S. and Canada this year, the Anti-Defamation League tallied more than 129 bomb threats against Jewish institutions. Although no bombs were detonated, evacuations and dismissals were a common response to the threats.
A New York police official told CNN authorities believed one person was behind most of the bomb threats because of their consistent technological sophistication, while others may have been made by copycats.
These masking technologies are very effective,” Paul Goldenberg, a security advisor and national director of the Secure Community Network, said.
Campus Safety had previously reported on another arrest related to the bomb threats, but police don’t believe that suspect, Juan Thompson, was responsible for more than a few threats. Thompson has been charged with cyberstalking.
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