Dallas JCC evacuated over threatening phone call after Israeli suspect arrested

The JCC posted a message on its website that the building was evacuated, as well as a post on its Facebook page which said the center was “temporarily closed to access.”

By JTA
Updated: MARCH 27, 2017 09:05
Jewish community centers have faced a host of bomb threats (illustrative) (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Jewish community centers have faced a host of bomb threats (illustrative)
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
A Jewish Community Center in Dallas, Texas, was evacuated due to a threatening call hours after an arrest was made in Israel in connection with dozens of other such threats around the country.
US-Israeli teen arrested for bomb threats to JCCs (credit: REUTERS)
The Aaron Family JCC in North Dallas received the threatening phone call and evacuated the building shortly before 5 p.m. on Thursday. The building remained evacuated for a short time before regular activity there resumed.
The JCC posted a message on its website that the building was evacuated, as well as a post on its Facebook page which said the center was “temporarily closed to access.”
The Dallas JCC released a statement Friday confirming that a threatening phone call had been received, and that an arrest had been made on Thursday in connection with threats against JCCs and other Jewish institutions since the beginning of the year, the Dallas News reported.
“Within hours of the announcement of the arrest, we received yet another threatening call,” the statement said. “In accordance with our procedures, staff worked with law enforcement to secure the campus, evacuate the facility and evaluate the situation.”
The Dallas JCC previously was evacuated in January over a bomb threat, and in early March discovered that an e-mailed threat went to the center’s spam folder and was only located days later.