Weeks before Hamas savagely attacked Israeli communities, a 13-year-old Ohio youth was mapping out plans for a mass shooting at a Canton, Ohio, synagogue, according to authorities.
The 13-year-old will appear Wednesday in Stark County Family Court on the misdemeanor charges of inducing panic and disorderly conduct, according to WKYC-TV.
The teen was arrested on Sept. 7.
The teen made a Nov. 20 court appearance, according to WJW-TV.
According to WKYC, a court document made available offered a brief description of the allegations against the teen.
The document said he created “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.”
The document said that the notification “caused significant public alarm within those agencies.”
We’re in the middle of a mass, mad frenzy of hate.
13-year-old boy accused of planning mass shooting at Ohio synagogue
The suspect allegedly made a detailed plan to shoot members of Temple Israel in the city of Canton, south of Akron. https://t.co/wt9WFJprn3
— Woke Me When It’s Over (@woke_it) December 14, 2023
Discord, a social media platform often used by gamers, reported the teen, according to ABC.
Should hate crimes carry extra penalties?
“Discord’s Counter-Extremism analysts proactively detected, removed, and reported this user to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center, which is what led to the user’s arrest,” John Redgrave, Discord’s vice president of trust and safety, said in a statement.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy against hate and violent extremism, and when we see it, we take immediate action. It is a top priority for Discord to ensure a safe experience for our users,” Redgrave said.
Stark County Prosecutor’s Office representative Christian Turner said the September arrest was linked to “involvement in threats made during an online discussion.”
Rabbi David Komerofsky of Temple Israel in Canton, which was the target of the alleged threat, declined to comment because the incident involves a child, according to USA Today.
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. (2/2) https://t.co/KwiQ942Gp2
— ADL Cleveland (@ADL_Cleveland) December 13, 2023
In a post on social media platform X, the Anti-Defamation League of Cleveland said it was “horrified that a young teen has been arrested and accused of planning a mass shooting at a synagogue in Canton, Ohio. We thank law enforcement for its thorough 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 ADL posted.
Although this incident took place before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, news of the incident comes as more than 2,000 anti-Semitic incidents have been reported in the past two months, which the Anti-Defamation League says represents a 337 percent increase over last year, according to CNN.
