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A teenager in Israel suspected of phoning in dozens of bomb threats to Jewish community centers across the United States was arrested Thursday, as the Guardian reports.Israeli police apprehended the teen, a dual citizen of the US and Israel, in cooperation with the FBI. Authorities were prohibited from releasing his name, and there are conflicting reports about his age—though he appears to be either 18 or 19. The suspect is said to have used robust technology to disguise his voice and conceal the source of the threats.In addition to threatening American JCCs, the teen is accused of threats in Israel, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. On one occasion, the JTA reports, he allegedly called Delta and threatened to kill Jews onboard a flight near New York's JFK airport, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.Authorities still haven't pinpointed the suspect's motives. His attorney says he's suffered from a brain tumor that "may have had an effect on his cognitive functions," as the New York Times reports.Jewish community centers in the US and Canada have received more than 150 bomb threats this year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. It remains unclear how many of those acts may have been carried out by this new suspect. But coupled with a spate of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries, the threats have stoked fear that anti-Semitism is on the rise in America. Earlier this month, disgraced former journalist Juan Thompson was charged with making at least eight bomb threats to Jewish sites across the country, allegedly in a twisted attempt to get back at an ex-girlfriend.In February, President Trump responded to repeated requests from Jewish leaders to speak out against a culture of anti-Semitism they described as "alive and kicking" in America."Anti-Semitism is horrible, and it's going to stop, and it has to stop," he said, before calling out threats against Jews again in his first speech before Congress.Follow Drew Schwartz on Twitter.
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