Bomb Threat Heightens Security At JCC Of Greater Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD — Several Jewish Community Centers (JCC) delayed opening Wednesday morning after authorities said the JCC of Greater Baltimore received a bomb threat overnight.

The threat came in over email, officials said.

"All security protocols are being followed," the JCC of Greater Baltimore reported in a statement Wednesday morning.

Authorities said the JCCs in Owings Mills and Park Heights opened at 11:30 a.m., once they had received the all-clear from local law enforcement, who conducted building sweeps.

Several JCCs around the country received bomb threats by email on Sunday — centers impacted were in Chicago; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Houston; Rochester, New York; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

There have been more than 150 threats made toward JCCs across North America since the beginning of 2017, according to the Anti-Defamation League, which fights antisemitism.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are reportedly investigating the incidents, including the Owings Mills JCC receiving a bomb threat on Feb. 27 and the Park Heights JCC receiving phone threats on Jan. 9 and Jan. 18.

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• Park Heights Jewish Community Center Evacuated After Threat

A man was charged in early March with cyberstalking and making threats against JCCs, including in Manhattan, officials reported. That case resulted in the arrest of a former journalist in St. Louis, Missouri, who was charged in relation to a handful of threats.

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