The FBI seal at its Washington, D.C. headquarters. Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

(JTA) — The FBI announced the arrest of a minor who will be charged for two online swatting hoaxes perpetrated against synagogues in Orange County, California.

The suspect, whose name was not released because they are a minor, was arrested Tuesday morning by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, in partnership with local law enforcement in Southern California and New York, as well as the Anti-Defamation League. The individual will be charged at the state level by the Orange Country District Attorney for swatting attempts at synagogues in Tustin and Fullerton, California.

The suspect is believed to be a member of a swatting ring that carried out false bomb threats and swatting attempts at a number of Jewish institutions, including at least 25 synagogues in 13 states during July and August, according to the FBI.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The wave of attacks unnerved Jewish communities around the country over the summer and led to beefed-up security at many synagogues for the High Holidays. Several communities reported interruptions during Rosh Hashanah.

Temple Beth Tikvah, a Reform congregation in Fullerton, evacuated during Shabbat services in August after receiving an anonymous phoned-in bomb threat. The synagogue’s Facebook livestream captured the moment that the threat made its way to the prayer leaders, as the rabbi interrupts the cantor and says, “I am afraid that we need to stop and leave the building right now.”

The FBI said it had identified the individual believed to have created the online server that hosted the alleged swatting network. The server has been taken offline, but it had included members who had expressed extremist views, including “the glorification of highly publicized mass killers,” according to the FBI.

A 33-year-old man in Peru was arrested in September in connection with recent bomb threats, including some of those made against synagogues Rosh Hashanah. And in Canton, Ohio, a 13-year-old is facing trial this week for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a synagogue.

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount