Reports show the North Carolina man who the Justice Department says threatened a Jewish temple last week after the Hamas attacks on Israel has been arrested.
On October 11, Jeffrey Scott Hobgood purportedly sent an email to the Jewish group where he threatened to ‘take everyone out,’ according to court filings. He said the “Semite pieces of ( )” would be wiped out, and they would plead for their lives.
Prosecutors allege that two days after authorities contacted Hobgood in response to the first email, he sent another violent email to the same organization.
Hobgood has not filed a plea, and there is no information about an attorney for him in the case files.
According to the affidavit for Hobgood’s arrest, his relatives had called the police before to discuss threats he had allegedly made against them. The court filings reveal that in June of 2022, Hobgood emailed a relative many times with threats.
Sending a communication in interstate commerce that includes a threat to injure another person is a violation of Section 875(c) of USCode Title 18.
Five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both are possible outcomes of a guilty verdict.
In figures provided by the FBI on Monday, anti-Jewish hate crimes were at their highest level in almost three decades, surging over 37% in 2022.
The statistics show there were over 11,600 cases of criminal hate crimes in 2022. These crimes were committed due to prejudice against victims based on their ancestry, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, handicap, gender, or gender ‘identity.’
According to retired FBI agent and former federal prosecutor M. Quentin Williams, distinguishing genuine threats from hoaxes is one of law enforcement’s most significant obstacles as the conflict continues.
Since Hamas’ unprecedented onslaught from air, land, and sea began on October 7, Israeli authorities say at least 1,400 Israelis have been killed and 3,400 injured.
