Dozens of Jewish sites receive disturbing bomb threat emails in NYC: report

Multiple emails containing disturbing bomb threats were sent to more than two dozen Jewish institutions and synagogues in New York City on Saturday (May 4), as per the New York City Police Department.  

The police officials in New York found the threats to be ‘fake’ and the authorities have been investigating the emails to find those who are behind these threats.

“Hello, if you see this email just have notice of a bomb I have set inside of your building. This isn’t a threat. I have set a bomb in your building, you have a few hours to disarm or else blood will shatter everywhere,” read the email, which was sent to the synagogues, as per The New York Post.

As per the reports, the threats were sent by a group which called itself “Terrorizers111.” The threats were mailed to 14 Manhattan synagogues and Jewish center – two in Brooklyn and five in Queens – as well as two upstate temples and one on Long Island. 

A similar bomb threat was also sent to the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

The bomb threats were sent amid heightened antisemitism in the United States as pro-Palestinian protesters established anti-Israeli encampments inside the campuses of the colleges, which also included Columbia University and City College. 

US Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Sunday (May 5) announced that federal assistance of $400 million will be extended to protect houses of worship by providing funds to security guards, cameras and barriers.

“Last night’s bomb threats targeting New York City synagogues created immense fear, but sadly, these threats are not a total shock given the rise in antisemitism that we have seen and the overall spike in threats to places of worship,” said Schumer, in a statement.

“Protecting our nonprofit community spaces, like our synagogues, mosques, churches and more has unfortunately demanded more help at the federal level as the threats have increased. These funds are to help lessen the unease across the city in the places where we worship, pray, and learn,” he added.

He further added that he spoke to the FBI about the ongoing investigation. 

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“I asked them to make every effort to track down who did this. It’s hard to do, because those who do it can often hide where their email is coming from, where their phone calls are coming from, in either case. But the FBI has had good success, it takes time, and they are able to track many of these bad people who do this kind of activity down and then go after them,” Schumer said. 

As per the Anti-Defamation League’s data, 8,873 antisemitic incidents took place in the US last year, which is a 140 per cent spike in comparison to the 2022 figure.

(With inputs from agencies)