19-year-old NJ Man Sentenced For Making Threats to Attack Synagogue

A Middlesex County man is headed to prison for threatening to attack a synagogue and Jewish people about a year ago.

On Tuesday in Camden federal court, 19-year-old Omar Alkattoul of Sayreville was sentenced to 15 months behind bars on one count of transmitting a threat in interstate and foreign commerce.

Federal authorities say it was on November 1st of last year when Alkattoul used a social media app to send an individual a link to a document entitled "When Swords Collide" and admitted to this individual that he wrote the document.

He admitted targeting a synagogue and stated in the document, "It’s in the context of an attack on Jews."

According to a second person, Alkattoul also sent the document to at least five other people using another social media app.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a press release,

This defendant admitted using social media to send a manifesto containing a threat to attack a synagogue based on his hatred of Jews. This prompted a state-wide alert and put the community on edge. No one should be targeted for violence or with acts of hate because of how they worship. Protecting our communities of faith and places of worship is at the heart of this office’s mission. The sentence that was imposed today holds this defendant accountable for his hateful words.

In addition to the prison term, Alkattoul was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Sellinger thanked the numerous law enforcement agencies that were involved in this case, including the Newark FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force; FBI Field Offices in Tampa, New York, and Washington; the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General; the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, and the Sayreville Police Department.