Ex-journalist jailed over US Jewish centre threats

A former journalist has been arrested on suspicion of 
making threats against Jewish community centres - in a bizarre plot against an ex-girlfriend.

Juan Thompson, 31, "allegedly caused havoc, expending
hundreds of hours of police and law enforcement 
resources", said NYPD Commissioner James P O'Neill.

New York prosecutors said he was "stalking a former romantic interest".

The Missouri man was allegedly behind eight of some
 100 threats to Jewish Community Centers (JCC) this year.

Mr Thompson was arrested on Friday in St Louis, 
Missouri, and will be in court later in the day.

As well as the threats against the JCCs in January and February, he is also accused of emailing a threat in his
 ex-girlfriend's name to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
 in New York City.

The next day the offices of the Jewish anti-bigotry group received a phone call claiming that explosive material had been placed inside the building.

"Today, we have charged Juan Thompson with allegedly stalking a former romantic interest by, among other things, making bomb threats in her name to Jewish Community Centers and to the Anti-Defamation League," New York-based US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

A spokesman for the White House said "it's still too early
 for us to say too much about it, but the process worked".

Mr Thompson is accused of cyber-stalking his ex-girlfriend -
known in court documents as Victim-1 - which can carry a
sentence of up to five years in jail.

He is also alleged to have made threats using his own real name, in a ploy to make it look like she was trying to frame him.

On 7 February, he allegedly wrote an email to the JCC
 offices in Manhattan, saying: "Juan Thompson put two bombs in the office of the Jewish center today.

"He wants to create Jewish newtown tomorrow."

This was a reference to the 2012 school shooting in Connecticut in which a gunman murdered 26 people.

In several tweets presented by investigators, Mr Thompson
repeatedly accused his former girlfriend of making bomb threats in his name, in order to pin the crime on him.

He claimed she had hacked his email account.

"[Victim-1], though I can't prove it, even sent a bomb threat
 in my name to a Jewish center, which was odd given her 
antisemitic statement," he posted on 24 February 2017.

He also made several posts condemning the anti-Jewish threats.

It was allegedly part of a months-long campaign against 
his former partner after they broke up in July 2016.

Thompson began by sending an email to her manager at a New York-area social service organisation.

The message claimed she had been pulled over for drunk driving and sued for spreading a sexually transmitted disease.

He allegedly went on to threaten to publish nude photos 
of the woman, before escalating to the bomb threats this 
year.

On 24 February, he posted on Twitter: "Y'all know how to 
get a social worker in NY barred? I'm being stalked and harassed by a white nasty white woman."

Mr Thompson was fired last year from the Intercept, a
 news website, over "fabricated sources and quotes in his articles".

Intercept management released a statement on Friday
 saying they were "horrified" to learn about the arrest, and 
that they condemn the "heinous" threats.

At least 100 phone threats have been made to Jewish 
centres, childcare facilities and schools in three dozen 
states since the beginning of January, according to the 
JCC Association of North America.

Three Jewish cemeteries, including one near St Louis,
 have also faced vandalism attacks.