Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
A Massachusetts man is facing federal charges for accusations he threatened to kill members of the Jewish community and bomb a local synagogue.
John Reardon, 59, of Millis, was arrested Monday morning, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. He is accused of making a series of threats left on a voicemail for the Congregation Agudas Achim, a synagogue in Attleboro, on Jan. 25. Prosecutors allege that in the message Reardon referred to the violence in Gaza, including demands to "end the genocide" as well as references to killing children and bombing places of worship.
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Reardon is also accused of calling a second synagogue and a local Jewish-affiliated organization the same day. He was arrested by local law enforcement after making the calls.
“John Reardon is accused of using his words as a weapon, leaving a threatening message to frighten members of the Congregation Agudas Achim,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI, Boston Division, in a media release. “No one should have to fear becoming the victim of physical violence at the hands of an angry stranger. While the FBI does not and will not police ideology, we take all threats to life seriously, and so should anyone thinking about making one.”
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Reardon was charged with one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to threaten a person or place with harm via an explosive. He appeared with an attorney in U.S. District Court in Boston Monday. He will remain in custody pending a probable cause and detention hearing on Wednesday.
The government plans to move for detention based on what they say is flight risk and safety to the community.
Reardon has been in custody since his arrest last week. WJAR-TV reports that he was charged with threats to kill, making a bomb threat, and civil rights violations in the local case.
The federal charges could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Reports of antisemitic incidents have been increasing in Massachusetts since before the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, according to the Anti-Defamation League, which recorded a 41% rise in a report released March of 2023. Since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that set off the war on the Gaza Strip, the ADL reports what it describes as a "shocking rise" in antisemitic incidents across the country.
