NEWARK (1010 WINS/AP) -- The man behind a “broad” online threat to New Jersey synagogues was located by the FBI and “no longer poses a danger,” the agency said Friday.
Sources told 1010 WINS that the FBI had identified, located and interviewed the man. It wasn’t immediately clear what charges he may face.
The FBI released a statement shortly after 11 a.m. confirming that the man had been found.
“We identified the source of the threat who no longer poses a danger to the community,” the FBI said. “As always, we would like to remind the public to remain vigilant and if they observe suspicious activity to report it to law enforcement immediately.”
A law enforcement source told the Associated Press that authorities don’t believe the man, who has not been identified, was planning to carry out a specific plot.
The man told agents he had been bullied in the past and harbored anger toward Jewish people, the official told AP. But investigators do not believe he had the means or motive to carry out any specific attack, the official said.
In a statement Friday morning, Gov Phil Murphy confirmed that the specific threat had been “mitigated” but that it remained “a tense time for our Jewish communities.”
“I am grateful to the FBI, as well as state law enforcement partners including the Attorney General’s Office, the State Police, and the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, for their tireless efforts in mitigating the immediate threat to our Jewish synagogues,” the governor said.
Murphy continued: “While this specific threat may be mitigated, we know this remains a tense time for our Jewish communities who are facing a wave of anti-Semitic activity. We will not be indifferent. We will remain vigilant. We will take any and every threat with the utmost seriousness and we will stand up and stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish congregations.”
“This threat violated one of the most fundamental tenets of our nation – the right to worship according to the dictates of our consciences and our sacred and holy traditions,” the governor added. “We will always endeavor to ensure that every New Jerseyan of every faith may continue to live, study, and worship without fear for their safety.”
Rabbi David Levy, the regional director for the American Jewish Committee in New Jersey, told 1010 WINS that he wasn’t able to immediately confirm a suspect had been interviewed but that he was on a call Friday morning in which Jewish leaders were told the threat appeared to be “mitigated.”
“I can tell you I was on a call today with the governor, FBI and the Office of Homeland Security and Protection, along with state police. It was a call for Jewish leaders from across the state, and they did say that in their determination the threat has been mitigated,” Levy said. “And yet they’re going to keep a high level of security up, as I believe most synagogues will be doing.”
Levy said specifics about the threat aren’t yet known.
“We do know the subject was based in New Jersey and the threats were directed towards New Jersey synagogues,” Levy said.
The NYPD posted a statement to Twitter on Thursday saying it was working actively with federal law enforcement after the threat.
“The NYPD is aware of an FBI Alert of ‘credible information’ of a broad threat to synagogues in New Jersey,” the NYPD wrote.
“In an abundance of caution, the NYPD’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureaus are working diligently alongside the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI to ensure the safety and well-being of every area that encompasses our Jewish citizens and synagogues here in New York City and the tri-state area,” the police department’s statement continued.
Across New Jersey, local police coordinated with sheriffs, prosecutors and other officials at the local, state and federal level to undertake any necessary security effort. It’s unclear how long the added measures will be in place.
The FBI’s warning Thursday prompted some municipalities to send extra police officers to guard houses of worship, including in Hoboken, where officers armed with rifles guarded a synagogue and the public safety director announced increased patrols in Jewish communities. In Jersey City, cops on foot were outside every synagogue in the city.
It all came after the FBI’s Newark office released a statement urging synagogues to “take all security precautions to protect your community and facility."
The alert was posted after officials discovered an online threat directed broadly at synagogues in New Jersey, a law enforcement official said. The posting did not target any specific synagogue by name, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Murphy said he was in touch with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, the state Office of Homeland Security and the FBI about the threat.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are working with local law enforcement to ensure that all houses of worship are protected,” the governor tweeted.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, said he was “concerned and outraged” by the latest threat against Jews.
“I am deeply concerned and outraged by today’s alert from the FBI," Gottheimer said. “This is what happens after years of antisemitic comments from public figures,” he added, citing recent comments by Kanye West and a social media post shared by NBA star Kyrie Irving.
The FBI didn't release any information suggesting the threat that prompted the warning was related to the public debate over those comments.
Gottheimer told 1010 WINS that the threat is a priority for New Jersey law enforcement and that he wants to make sure people feel safe.
“We’re obviously in touch with our synagogues, they’re taking action, law enforcement is all over this,” the congressman said.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, New Jersey had 370 reported antisemitic incidents in 2021. The only state with more was New York, where 416 incidents were counted.
Gottheimer said the surge in antisemitism is the result of “years of building of hate and targeting.”
“I don’t think this is just a random act, clearly this is in my opinion a compounding result of hate,” he said.
Gottheimer planned to pray with congregants at a synagogue in Teaneck on Friday morning. “To those who made these antisemitic terroristic threats: We will not cower. We will not back down,” he tweeted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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