Israeli-American teen convicted over making 2,000 hoax bomb threats

A Jewish Israeli man from Ashkelon has been convicted of making up to 2,000 bomb hoax threats to Jewish schools and institutions in the UK and around the world.

Michael Kadar, 19, who has dual American-Israeli citizenship, was convicted in Israel this week following a joint operation with the FBI, after a two-year campaign in which he forced evacuations at Jewish schools across the UK and at the Jewish Museum in London.

The court heard how Kadar made bomb threats over the internet in an attempt to extort money, targeting the Jewish community but also British Airways, which led to an emergency landing on a flight between London and New York.

The parents of Kadar, who began his campaign in 2015, said a brain tumour had led to him having autism and that he should not be considered legally responsible for his actions, but he was determined fit to stand trial.

Israeli state prosecutor told how Kadar had targeted Jewish community centres in America, as well as an Israeli embassy and the Anti-Defamation League in Washington, explained that he “essentially created panic, terrorised many people and disrupted their lives”.

However, in a statement made outside the court on Thursday, Kadar’s father said his son was “incapable of telling good from bad,” adding: “His discretion is horrible. There is a conspiracy here.”

He was convicted of extortion, money laundering and assaulting a police officer, and will be sentenced at a later date.

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