Mom Of Teen Who Threatened JCC’s Blames Spree On Brain Tumor
The teen arrested for JCC bomb threats covers his face at a hearing. Image by Reuters
By Naomi Zeveloff April 2, 2017
The mother of the Israeli-American teen arrested for making false bomb threats against Jewish American institutions said that her son is autistic with a brain tumor and can’t be held responsible for his actions in an interview on Israeli Channel 2.
The mother, who gave an interview with her face obscured and was identified only as “C,” said she left a career as a biochemist in order to home school her son, who was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum, the Times of Israel reported.
She described her son as a lonely teen with no friends who almost never left home and had obsessive tendencies.
She blamed his condition for his acts, saying that it was the only explanation because he is a “kid who loves Judaism.”
“It’s the tumor. It could happen to anyone with a tumor in his head,” she said. “He’s autistic, he can’t control it, he can’t think straight. He needs medical help.”
The teen was arrested on March 23 and was ordered to remain behind bars for another week.
Contact Naomi Zeveloff at zeveloff@forward.com
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