NJ man ordered detained after threat to attack synagogue that set Jewish community on edge

Days after an FBI warning spread fear through New Jersey's Jewish community, federal prosecutors on Thursday said they had charged an 18-year-old from Middlesex County for allegedly threatening to attack a synagogue and individual Jews in an online manifesto.

Omar Alkattoul, 18, of Sayreville, was arrested Thursday morning and charged with one count of transmitting a threat, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. The high school student appeared in federal court in Newark in the afternoon and was ordered detained without bail.

In online postings and subsequent interviews with authorities, Alkattoul allegedly said he took inspiration from the ISIS and al-Qaeda terror groups, as well as Dylann Roof, the gunman who massacred nine people in a racist attack on a South Carolina church in 2015.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Alkattoul said online that he wanted to avenge the killings of Muslims and that his attack would "involve bombings, shootings and maybe beheadings."

Efforts to reach an attorney for Alkattoul, who attends Sayreville War Memorial High School, were unsuccessful on Thursday, as were attempts to contact his family. The teen's Facebook page showed a photo proclaiming "I'm Muslim & love my prophet," but little else.

Sellinger's office said a specific synagogue and its location were not identified in the alleged threat.

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The FBI's Newark office issued its initial alert on the afternoon of Nov. 3, saying it had "credible information" regarding a "broad threat" to temples in the state. The announcement prompted many in the Jewish community to beef up precautions at synagogues and other sites.

Some, like, Rabbi Daniel Cohen of Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel of South Orange, sent staff home early, while others boosted security patrols and arranged for increased police presence in their neighborhoods.

By the next day, however, the FBI announced that it had identified the source of the threat and that the person no longer posed a danger. Authorities offered no other details at the time.

Rabbi David Seth Kirshner of Temple Emanu-El in Closter, one of many Bergen County congregations that added security after the warning, welcomed the news on Thursday. "Much is broken in our world and sadly, while this specific threat has been alleviated, we are still fearful," he said.

According to the complaint, Alkattoul used a social media app to send an unnamed individual a link to “When Swords Collide," which the teenager said he'd written. Alkattoul allegedly said the document was written "in the context of an attack on Jews."

In it, he allegedly discusses plans to kill Jews as revenge for the death of Muslims. "I am the attacker and I would like to introduce myself...I am a Muslim with so many regrets but I can assure you this attack is not one of them," he allegedly wrote, adding that he was motivated by his "hatred towards Jews and their heinous acts."

"I will discuss my motives in a bit but I did target a synagogue," he wrote, according to prosecutors.

According to the complaint, Alkattoul told law enforcement in a subsequent interview that he became radicalized after viewing ISIS propaganda online and communicating with others, who he believed to be part of al-Qaeda, who encouraged him to carry out an attack. It is not clear who those individuals were, or if they existed at all.

Alkattoul later told authorities that he was merely joking and didn't want to serve time in prison, the complaint said.

Authorities said Alkattoul agreed to be taken to a hospital for a voluntary exam after his interview. During the trip, he allegedly told a hospital employee that he identified with the ideologies of ISIS and al-Qaeda and had plans to "blow up a synagogue but did not know if it was going to be in a day, a week, or year."

Rabbi David Levy, the director of the American Jewish Committee's New Jersey chapter, called the arrest "good news."

"There can be no place for threats of violence against houses of worship in our society," he said.

"We remain deeply grateful to the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the U.S. Attorney, the New Jersey Attorney General, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Protection, and New Jersey State and local law enforcement for their dedicated and successful response to this threat and the great care they have taken to ensure the safety of the New Jersey Jewish community."

The arrest comes amid an uptick in antisemitic rhetoric and assaults in America, which has seen record reports of anti-Jewish activity in recent years. More than 2,700 incidents were reported in 2021, a roughly 34% increase over the previous year, according to the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitism.

Most of the reported incidents occurred in New York, followed by New Jersey and California.

"There is nothing the U.S. Attorney’s Office takes more seriously than threats to our communities of faith and places of worship," Sellinger, the U.S. Attorney in Newark, said in a statement. "Protection of these communities is core to this office’s mission, and this office will devote whatever resources are necessary to keep our Jewish community and all New Jersey residents safe.”

If convicted, Alkattoul could face a sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Sellinger's office said.

Reached Thursday, Sayreville schools Superintendent Richard Labbe said he was not permitted to discuss matters pertaining to students.

"However, the school district is very concerned with and deeply troubled by what has transpired," he added. "Therefore, we will continue to cooperate fully with local, state and federal law enforcement during their investigation."

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ man arrested for alleged threat to attack synagogue, Jews