Two NYC synagogues are searched after bomb threats are reported on Christmas Eve
- Police searched the Shaare Zion Temple in Brooklyn and the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx around 6:15 a.m. after a 911 call, NYPD told DailyMail.com
- The department could not share details about the threats the synagogues received, but said they were likely sent via email.
- Since the Hamas terror attack on October 7, hundreds of synagogues across America have been targeted with threatening reports of hoax bombs.
Two synagogues in New York were searched by police after bomb threats caused panic on Christmas Eve.
Police searched the Shaare Zion Temple in Brooklyn and the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx around 6:15 a.m. after a 911 call, NYPD told DailyMail.com.
The department could not share details about the threats the synagogues received, but said they were likely sent via email.
“Officers responded and searched the premises and found no devices,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “Nothing was found.”
Police searched the Shaare Zion Temple in Brooklyn and the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx around 6:15 a.m. after a 911 call about bomb threats they received on Christmas Eve, NYPD told DailyMail.com. (Pictured: An NYPD patrol car parked outside a Lower East Side synagogue)
The department said police would continue to “investigate and patrol” the areas affected by the latest swatting incidents – which is when people call emergency services about false threats.
Hundreds of synagogues across America have been targeted with threatening reports of hoax bombs since Hamas massacred about 1,200 people in Israel on October 7.
Last weekend, a nationwide wave of attacks sent threats to nearly 200 Jewish institutions, which the FBI said was part of a coordinated effort by a foreign group.
In a confidential memo to partner law enforcement agencies, Assistant FBI Director Cathy Milhoan said, “At this time, it appears the perpetrators of these threats are connected, based on similar language and specific use of email.
“Additionally, these threats appear to be originating outside the United States.”
Between Friday and Saturday last week, 199 swatting incidents and hoax bomb threats were tracked by the Secure Community Network, a nonprofit organization that educates American Jewish institutions about security and safety.
On Monday, the nonprofit reported that in the past 24 hours there were 93 swatting incidents in California, 62 in Arizona, 15 in Connecticut, five in Colorado and four in Washington.
Pennsylvania and Mississippi also received false threats last weekend, while Alabama received six reports on Saturday alone.
The SCN said they have recorded more than 449 swatting incidents compared to this time last year. These events are 541 percent more common than in 2022.
The Shir Ami Synagogue in Pennsylvania evacuated their Hebrew school on Thursday after a bomb threat. Police and K-9 dogs found no evidence of a bomb
“We continue to work with law enforcement and Jewish security partners to respond to incidents and ensure Jewish communities across North America have the tools and guidance to respond appropriately,” SCN said in a post on X.
On Thursday, Congregation Shir Ami in Newton, Pennsylvania, was forced to evacuate its Hebrew school after receiving bomb threats.
The synagogue's executive director received the threat via email, requesting that a ransom be delivered to a location about two hours away.
“We evacuated our building and our preschool and pretty much put our emergency plan into action,” Rabbi Charles Briskin said. USA TODAY.
After police inspected the building with explosive sniffer dogs for about two hours, the evacuation was lifted.
Briskin said this was the first time their facility had ever experienced a threat.
“There seems to have been a particular increase in activity in recent days,” the rabbi said.
He also said that when he received the email, two other colleagues he was with, from other places, had the same message sent to them.