At least three synagogues and a museum in New York received bomb threats on Saturday but the New York Police Department did not deem them as credible, news agency Reuters said, citing a city official and police.
Manhattan Borough President Mark D. Levine said that is it an example of ‘swatting’ incidents targeting Jewish institutions and part of a growing trend. He said it was ‘a clear hate crime’.
“This is a clear effort to sow fear in the Jewish community. Cannot be accepted,” he said.
Antisemitic incidents of assault, vandalism and harassment in the US more than doubled last year to a record high as anti-Jewish sentiment spiked after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, the Anti-Defamation League said in a report last month.
A police spokesperson said a number of threats were received on Saturday, including an emailed bomb threat to the Brooklyn Museum and one to a synagogue in Brooklyn Heights, with no evidence of any explosive device detected.
Two synagogues in Manhattan also received bomb threats, including a West Side synagogue that prompted police to evacuate about 250 people, police said, with nothing found.
New York state Governor Kathy Hochul said on X state officials were “actively monitoring a number of bomb threats at synagogues in New York. Threats have been determined not to be credible.”
Hochul added, “We will not tolerate individuals sowing fear & antisemitism. Those responsible must be held accountable for their despicable actions”.
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