A former journalist was arrested in St. Louis on Friday, after sending threatening messages to numerous Jewish communities across the country, all in an attempt to frame an ex-girlfriend who broke up with him months ago.
Dallas Morning News reports that since January 9, more than 122 bombs threats were sent to Jewish centers and communities across the nation. Juan Thompson, 31, allegedly made at least eight of these threats, starting on January 28, when he called in his first bomb threat to the Jewish History Museum in Manhattan. It was followed by threats to New York’s Anti-Defamation League, and Jewish schools and centers in Texas, Michigan, and New York.
Thompson reportedly created a fake email address and attempted to pin the threats on his ex-girlfriend, whose name is undisclosed. He took to Twitter and accused his ex of being racist towards him. Thompson wrote that she wanted him “raped and in jail.”
Know any good lawyers? Need to stop this nasty/racist #whitegirl I dated who sent a bomb threat in my name & wants me to be raped in jail. pic.twitter.com/B1IU0RkNCZ
— Juan M. Thompson (@JuanMThompson) February 24, 2017
In February, Thompson reportedly emailed the ADL and wrote, “She (ex-girlfriend) lives in nyc and is making more bomb threats tomorrow,” followed by a note to the San Diego Jewish Community Center that read, “[She] hates Jewish people and is the head of a ring and put a bomb in the center to kill as many Jews asap.”
A federal complaint read that Thompson and his former girlfriend split up last summer. Since then, he’s allegedly stalked and harassed her on multiple occasions. Thompson is accused of sending her employer emails that read his former girlfriend was arrested for drunk driving and that she had a sexually transmitted disease. Numerous faxes came in to her place of employment, accusing her of being anti-Semitic.
“Thompson’s harassment appears to have begun shortly after their romantic relationship ended.”
The @SecretService visited me looked at my tweets, questioned my politics b/c some awful white woman I date reported me. I won't be silenced
— Juan M. Thompson (@JuanMThompson) February 27, 2017
Thompson was fired from The Intercept last year, where he worked as a journalist. He made up a series of fabricated quotes and created false email accounts while impersonating others. In one instance, he claimed to be a cousin of Dylann Roof, the man convicted of shooting several black people in a South Carolina church.
Thompson isn’t considered the “main” suspect behind the influx of bomb threats and destruction of tombstones in Jewish cemeteries. So far, he’s only been linked to eight of the hundreds of recent threats this year. He’s now facing cyberstalking charges, and scheduled to appear in a Missouri federal court on Friday.
[Feature Photo: YouTube/Bric TV]