A teenager from Forsyth County, Georgia has been arrested for targeting a synagogue with a bomb threat in March.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) said that the bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax, was made the morning of March 21, with the teen allegedly “stating that a pipe bomb had been placed at a local Jewish Synagogue,” Forsyth County News reported.
Congregation Beth Israel is the only synagogue in the suburban Atlanta country. Police arrived that afternoon with dog units, searching the area for explosive devices.
“I assisted the bomb detection dogs in clearing the house and property,” the responding officer explained in the incident report. “No explosives were found on the premises.”
FCSO named Cooper Wells Hansen, 18, as the suspect. He was arrested late last week and charged with terroristic threats and acts before being released on a $11,020 bond, according to the news outlet.
The investigation is now being run by the Forsyth County Detectives and the FBI due to the responding deputy writing in the report that the treat was “made with a bias against Judaism.”
The bomb threat came less than two months after multiple Jewish neighbourhoods in the Atlanta area were targeted with antisemitic flyers by a notorious hate group.