Former journalist Juan Thompson allegedly called in at least eight of more than 100 threats against JCCs this year, in some cases using the name of his ex-partner

A man officials accused of waging a cyberstalking campaign against his ex-partner has been arrested by the FBI in St Louis for allegedly calling in bomb threats to several Jewish community centers (JCCs).

Authorities said Juan Thompson, who was apprehended Friday morning, called in at least eight of the more than 100 threats that JCCs nationwide have received during the first months of 2017. Thompson issued some threats in the name of his ex-partner and some in his own name, in an effort to frame the woman for framing him, according to the FBI.

Trump suggests antisemitic threats may be politically motivated, official says Read more

Federal officials said the calls were “part of a sustained campaign to harass and intimidate” Thompson’s ex-partner, identified only as “Victim-1”. The harassment also included “defamatory emails and faxes to Victim-1’s employer” and “false reports of criminal activity by Victim-1”.

Thompson allegedly emailed a threat to the JCC Midtown Manhattan office indicating that “[Victim-1’s name and birthdate] is behind the bomb threats against jews. She lives in nyc and is making more bomb threats tomorrow”.

Officials confirmed to the Guardian that Thompson was only being charged with the crime of cyberstalking at present, and not with crimes relating to the bomb threats.

This is not the first time Thompson has been accused of elaborate online fabrications. Thompson, a former journalist, was fired from a position with the Intercept last year for allegedly inventing sources, going so far as to create false email accounts to back up fraudulent reporting. The Intercept corrected four of Thompson’s 41 stories for the publication and entirely retracted another.



In a Friday statement the Intercept said it was “horrified” by the developments. “These actions are heinous and should be fully investigated and prosecuted,” the statement continued.



Thompson responded to his firing with a 5,000-word Medium screed accusing his former employer and the media at large of racism. “The white New York liberal media makes me vomit with their arrogant, patronizing bigotry,” Thompson wrote.

Authorities on Friday said that Thompson was considered a “copycat”. Citing officials, NBC News reported that he was not believed to be responsible for all or most of the threats that have been made against JCCs and other Jewish institutions and organizations nationwide. Those waves of threats have also been accompanied by the vandalization of Jewish cemeteries in Philadelphia and St Louis.

Posts from Thompson’s Twitter account, which was cited in the FBI’s statement, reveal some of Thompson’s feelings towards his ex-partner, whom he describes as an “awful white woman” whom he claims stalked and harassed him. Thompson also posted several tweets expressing outrage over the wave of antisemitic threats against Jewish organizations, and accusing his ex-partner of framing him for them.

Juan M. Thompson (@JuanMThompson) Another week, another round of threats against Jewish ppl. In the middle of the day, you know who's at a JCC? Kids. KIDS.

Juan M. Thompson (@JuanMThompson) The @SecretService visited me looked at my tweets, questioned my politics b/c some awful white woman I date reported me. I won't be silenced

The spate of threats since January has sent shockwaves through the Jewish community nationwide. “We are taking this very seriously and will continue to work intimately with federal and local law enforcement – in addition to our community partners across the country – as they cope during this difficult time,” said the Anti-Defamation League CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, after the fifth and latest round of threats earlier this week.



Donald Trump opened his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night by condemning the spate of attacks.

UK universities urged to tackle rising tide of antisemitism on campus Read more

“Recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries,” Trump said, “remind us that, while we are a country that disagrees on policy, we stand united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms.”

Hours earlier, Trump had allegedly mused that sometimes terroristic threats, like the wave that had hit the nation’s JCCs, were not always perpetrated by the people one would expect. In a meeting with Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Josh Shapiro, Trump said, according to Shapiro: “Sometimes it’s the reverse, to make people, or to make others, look bad.”

Trump denied those remarks and his administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thompson’s arrest.