An Ohio synagogue was the target of a 13-year-old, who planned a mass shooting there and shared his detailed plans online.
Here’s more from NBC News:
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested and accused of planning a mass shooting at a synagogue in Ohio, court documents show.
The suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with inducing panic and with disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, for allegedly making a detailed plan to shoot members of the Temple Israel in the city of Canton, south of Akron.
He is accused of sharing his plan on the online chat platform Discord, which has been used by previous mass shooters to discuss their plans and in some instances their extremist ideology before their attack was executed.
The suspect created “a detailed plan to complete a mass shooting at the the Temple Israel on the Discord platform which was reported to law enforcement and required an immediate investigatory response,” said a Stark County Family Court filing, submitted by the Stark County Sheriff’s Office.
The unnamed suspect was planning this back in September, a month before the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas:
The sheriff’s office learned of the plot on Sept. 1 and notified the school system, “which caused significant public alarm within those agencies,” the filing said.
Although his arrest was before the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas began on Oct. 7, the charges come amid increased antisemitic attacks in the U.S., as well as an increase in anti-Muslim violence, in the wake of the conflict.
The suspect appeared in a pre-trial hearing on Nov. 20 and is due to face a full trial on Dec. 20. NBC news contacted the boy’s legal representative for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.
It’s almost inconceivable that a 13-year-old hated Jews so much that he’d be planning a mass shooting of a synagogue, especially before antisemitism exploded in this country after the terrorist attack. Seriously, who did this kind hang around with that would foster this kind of hatred at that young age? Was it his family? Was it his school friends?
I’m glad they caught this wannabe terrorist but being charged with just misdemeanors sounds like he might be out soon. I sincerely hope not. The kid needs a lot of help.