Police arrest 13-year-old who planned mass shooting at Ohio Synagogue
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested after he posted a detailed plan online to commit a mass shooting at a synagogue in Canton, Ohio, according to court documents.
The boy — whose name has not been made public due to his age — has been charged with inducing panic and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. The teenager is expected to appear for a pretrial hearing on Dec. 20 in Stark County Family Court.
According to a WKYC report updated Thursday, court documents obtained by the outlet show that the Stark County Sheriff's Office responded to a Sept. 7 report of a teenage boy making threats on social media about the Temple Israel in Canton.
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"[Name redacted] did create a detailed plan to complete a mass shooting at the Temple Israel on the Discord platform which was reported to law enforcement and required an immediate investigatory response and notification of public individuals and agencies including the school system in which caused significant public alarm within those agencies," the document stated.
Members of the boy's family declined to appear on camera, but they described the boy as a "good, smart kid" who regularly attended church, according to WKYC. The family believes the teenager was "most definitely influenced" by older men on Discord, a social platform that allows communication through voice calls, video calls and text messages.
Employees for Discord tipped off the FBI about the boy's online discussions, where he stated that he had plans to burn down or shoot up the house of worship, according to The Canton Repository. The boy was reportedly conspiring with an unknown person in Washington state.
The Cleveland Anti-Defamation League reacted to the story in a Wednesday X post, expressing horror that a young teen would plan a mass shooting at a synagogue. It thanked law enforcement for its investigation.
"And for young people like this suspect, we hope this can be a teachable moment. Hate and threats on social media, as in real life, cannot and will not be tolerated," the group wrote in a follow-up post.
Since Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing at least 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others, the ADL documented 832 antisemitic incidents between the day of the attack and Nov. 7, 2023. This represents a 316% increase in antisemitic incidents from the 200 incidents that ADL reported in the same time period in 2022.
Some have been critical of Israel's response to the Oct. 7 massacre, while others believe that the actions Hamas committed when it broke through the border were an act of resistance.
In response to the October terror attack, Israel launched a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip to eradicate the terror group and secure the release of the hostages. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says over 18,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began; however, these numbers don't distinguish between civilians and members of Hamas.
Regarding the number of antisemitic incidents on college campuses, the ADL tracked 124 such events since Oct. 7, but only 12 last year.
"Of the 832 incidents, ADL recorded 632 acts of harassment, 170 instances of vandalism, and 30 assaults," the ADL reported.
"ADL's data shows that at least 200 of the 653 anti-Israel rallies held across the U.S. since Oct. 7 featured explicit or strong implicit support for Hamas and/or violence against Jews in Israel," the group continued. "These rallies are included in ADL's tally of antisemitic incidents under the harassment category."
In the last few months, protests have erupted worldwide, with some demonstrators chanting "Gas the Jews." Other incidents on college campuses include pro-Palestine protestors chanting "Free Palestine" as Jewish students were studying in a library.
"As we have seen repeatedly, when conflict arises in the Middle East, particularly when Israel exercises its right to self-defense, antisemitic incidents increase here in the U.S. and around the world," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.
"These include violent assaults on pro-Israeli students on college campuses, anti-Israel protests openly expressing support for terrorist organizations, as well as white supremacists distributing antisemitic fliers and banners blaming Jews for the war," he continued.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
