Israeli-American Teen Convicted of Bomb Threats Hoax Gets 10-Years in Jail

In June, the so-called JCC hoax bomber was convicted of making thousands of bomb threats against airlines, hospitals, schools, and Jewish institutions

On Thursday, a Tel Aviv district court sentenced the so-called JCC hoax bomber, a 19-year-old Israeli-American who made thousands of bomb threats against airlines, hospitals, schools, and Jewish institutions, to 10-years jail time and a NIS 60,000 ($16,000) fine. In June, he was convicted of all crimes he was accused of performing after turning 18. His name is withheld due to a court-issued gag-order, as he was a minor when some of the crimes were committed.

 

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According to the charges, between 2015 and his April arrest the man made thousands of bomb threat calls to targets in 13 countries, among them the U.S., England, Ireland, Australia, and Sweden. In one case, a threat to a Canadian airport led the authorities to divert an aircraft and evacuate passengers via slides. Six people were injured at the event. Another threat to a plane making its way to Israel led authorities to launch French and Swiss fighter jets to escort the plane.

 

The JCC hoax bomber. Photo: ynet

 

 

The man also called police stations in numerous occasions, announcing he is holding children and family members as hostages and made similar calls to a former U.S. Department of Defense executive and an American senator via an accomplice. He used a text-to-speech interface to disguise his voice and paid for the calls with bitcoin to avoid being traced.

 

According to the indictment, he has amassed bitcoin to the value of NIS 800,000 ($215,000) by selling his services on the darknet, charging $40 for a murder threat made to a private home and $500 for a phoned-in bomb threat. The judge stated he had also made videos instructing others on how to make such threats, and also offered drugs for sale. He is withholding information about his crypto wallet, meaning he still has access to the funds.

 

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He was arrested in April following a joint investigation by the FBI and Israeli police. The U.S. Department of Justice has also made a list of charges against him but agreed to a trial in Israel. In his investigation, the man stated he made the threats out of boredom, adding that he understands it "was not a game," and apologized for his actions. According to court documents, he said he enjoys seeing people "run around in panic."

 

As he is apparently autistic, the presiding judge stated the court has taken his medical condition into account and lessened his intended prison time. Since his conviction, his parents have been stating his actions were induced by a mental illness.