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1st LD Writethru: Man arrested in Missouri for involving threats targeting U.S. Jewish community centers

Xinhua, March 4, 2017 Adjust font size:

A man was arrested on Friday in the state of Missouri in connection with recent threats targeting Jewish community centers (JCCs) across the United States, according to local media reports on Friday.

Juan Thompson, 31, is accused of what federal prosecutors called a "campaign to harass and intimidate."

He is charged in New York with cyberstalking a New York City woman by communicating threats in the woman's name. Prosecutors said Thompson appears to have made those threats "as part of a sustained campaign to harass and intimidate" the woman after their romantic relationship ended.

According to a federal complaint, Thompson dated the woman until last summer, when they broke up. The following day, her boss received an email purporting to be from a national news organization saying that she'd been pulled over for drunken driving.

The harassment got worse from there, federal officials said. The Anti-Defamation League received an email on Feb. 21 that said she was behind the bomb threats to JCCs and there'd be more the next day. On Feb. 22, it received a phoned-in bomb threat.

He also claimed she was responsible for placing a bomb in a Jewish center in Dallas, and he also emailed a JCC in San Diego saying she wanted to "kill as many Jews asap."

New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill confirmed Thompson's arrest and said, "The defendant caused havoc, expending hundreds of hours of police and law enforcement resources to respond and investigate these threats. We will continue to pursue those who pedal fear, making false claims about serious crimes." Endit