Man charged in connection with threats to Jewish centers in Florida

An 18-year-old dual United States and Israeli citizen was charged Friday in connection with making threatening calls to Jewish Community Centers in Florida along with other alleged crimes in Georgia.

Michael Ron David Kadar allegedly made mulitple threatening calls that included bomb and active shooter threats to “numerous” Florida Jewish Community Centers, schools and other locations between approximately Jan. 4 and March 7, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in Orlando provided by the Department of Justice.

Many centers closed, evacuated or went into lockdown after the calls, though no explosives were found, according to the Department of Justice.

According to the complaint, Kadar made at least 245 threatening calls, with a “significant portion” of them targeting Jewish institutions and community centers. He often used a voice-changing function to disguise his voice.

Four Tampa-area locations were named as places Kadar is accused of calling, according to a list contained in the complaint.

Kadar is also facing charges in connection with allegations made in a separate criminal complaint filed in Macon, Ga. There, Kadar allegedly called a police department and gave false information about an alleged “violent emergency situation” at a home in Athens, Ga. When emergency crews responded, there was no emergency.

“This kind of behavior is not a prank, and it isn’t harmless. It’s a federal crime,” said Director James Comey of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a release from the Department of Justice. “It scares innocent people, disrupts entire communities and expends limited law enforcement resources. The FBI thanks our partners for working with us here at home and around the world.”

Kadar was taken into custody on March 23, in Ashkelon, Israel, according to the complaint filed in Macon.

The investigation into violent threats to Jewish Community Centers, schools and other institutions across this nation continues, according to the release.

This story was originally published April 21, 2017 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Man charged in connection with threats to Jewish centers in Florida."