Sayreville Teen, 19, Admits To Threatening Synagogues

SAYREVILLE, NJ — A 19-year-old Sayreville man admitted in federal court Wednesday that he threatened to attack synagogues, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.

Omar Alkattoul, 19, pleaded guilty in Trenton federal court to one count of transmitting a threat in interstate and foreign commerce.

This was the credible threat to synagogues that the FBI warned local New Jersey police about in November: Federal authorities say on Nov. 1, 2022 Alkattoul, then 18, sent someone, via social media, a document he wrote entitled “When Swords Collide.” He stated in the document: “It’s in the context of an attack on Jews.”

According to a second individual, Alkattoul also sent the document to at least five other people using another social media app.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in the manifesto Alkattoul called Osama bin Laden a hero and said he'd carry out the attack on behalf of the Islamic State, the terrorist organization also known as ISIS. Court documents also show Alkattoul supporting Dylann Roof, the white supremacist neo-Nazi who killed nine people, all of them Black, at a South Carolina church in 2015.

Additionally, Alkattoul spoke to an individual, who he believed was linked to al-Qaeda, about conducting attacks on Jewish and gay people and targeting synagogues or gay nightclubs, according to court documents.

According to Alkattoul's criminal complaint, the document contained several sections with titles that included "Why hatred towards Jews is a good thing even if they're not Zionists" and "The 'Holocaust' (sic)."

On Nov. 3 of last year, the FBI warned local New Jersey law enforcement of "credible information of a broad threat to synagogues" in New Jersey. Patch reported on it at the time.

Alkattoul was taken into federal custody the next morning, Nov. 4, in Sayreville.

“The laws of our nation allow for everyone to express themselves,” FBI-Newark Special Agent in Charge James Dennehy said this week. “However, when that expression turns into a specific threat toward others, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies must take action.

“This defendant admitted using social media to send a manifesto containing a threat to attack a synagogue based on his hatred of Jews. This prompted a state-wide alert and put the community on edge, ” U.S. Attorney Sellinger said Wednesday, in announcing Alkattoul's guilty plea.

“Alkattoul will now face sentencing for his crime, and we intend to seek a sentence that will hold him accountable," said the U.S. Attorney.

Alkattoul is facing maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 14.

Prior Patch reporting on Omar Alkattoul:

Suspect Apprehended After Threats To NJ Synagogues: Police (Nov. 4, 2022)

NJ Synagogue Threats Inspired By ISIS: Feds (Nov. 10, 2022)