13-year-old boy charged with planning a mass shooting at an Ohio synagogue
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested and charged after allegedly planning a mass shooting at an Ohio synagogue.
The child, who has not been identified as he is a minor, put together a “detailed plan to complete a mass shooting” at Temple Israel in Canton, according to court documents obtained by WKYC.
Law enforcement was tipped off after the plan was posted to Discord, a messaging app previously also used by other mass shooters to discuss plans and ideologies.
The Stark County Sheriff’s Office said it learned of the alleged plot on Sept. 1, weeks before Hamas terrorists launched its surprise attack on Israel, sparking a dramatic rise in antisemitic hate.
It then alerted several individuals and agencies within the school system of the alleged plot — “which caused significant public harm,” the court documents said.
It is unclear whether any weapons were found when the teenager was arrested, and how serious his intentions were.
The boy was charged with misdemeanor counts of inducing panic and disorderly conduct. He is set to face those charges in court next week, the sheriff’s office said.
The Post has reached out to the Stark County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
The Post has also reached out to the synagogue for comment. Its rabbi declined to comment to Cleveland 19, citing the child’s young age.
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,” it said Wednesday.
“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.”
Although the alleged plot took place before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, the news of the plot comes amid a surge in antisemitic attacks.
There were 2,031 antisemitic incidents reported in the US between Oct. 7 — when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel — and Dec. 7, according to preliminary data released by the ADL.
That is more reported antisemitic incidents than in any other two-month period over the past 45 years, when the Anti-Defamation League started keeping such statistics, the group said.
It is also is a 337% spike compared to the same two-month timeframe in 2022, when there were 465 incidents documented.
The number also is nearly triple the previous roughly 45-year high over a two-month span: October and November of last year, when 741 incidents were recorded, an ADL rep told The Post.
The ADL, which was founded in 1913 and began recording antisemitic incidents in 1979, called the increase “unprecedented.”
“This terrifying pattern of antisemitic attacks has been relentless since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, with no signs of diminishing,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.
“The lid to the sewers is off, and Jewish communities all across the country are being inundated with hate.”
