JCC Bomb Threats: Police Arrest Teenager In Israel

MERCER ISLAND, WA - Police in Israel have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection to bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers in the U.S. and other countries, according to multiple reports.

The arrest comes after more than 100 JCCs - including Mercer Island's Stroum Jewish Community Center - across the U.S. and in Australia and New Zealand were threatened recently. The suspect apparently holds dual U.S.-Israel citizenship, according to CNN.

Although it's not clear whether the suspect made the threats against the Mercer Island JCC specifically, investigators have said that the threats likely came from overseas. Attorney General Jeff Sessions released a statement Thursday praising the arrest, and seemed to connect it to the bomb threats.

"Today's arrest in Israel is the culmination of a large-scale investigation spanning multiple continents for hate crimes against Jewish communities across our country. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs."

Mercer Island and Bellevue police responded to the Stroum JCC around 4:45 p.m. on Feb. 27. The JCC and adjacent French-American School of Puget Sound were evacuated as police conducted a search of the premises. No bombs were found, and the JCC returned to normal operations on Feb. 28.

Two weeks ago, a synagogue in Seattle was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti.

Image via Seth Wenig/Associated Press