An Ohio man who worked as a security guard at a Jewish school has been charged with making terrorist threats to shoot its pupils in the playground and their parents.
Former National Guardsman Thomas Develin, 24, is accused of posting pictures of himself posing with a semi-automatic handgun on 11 March as he worked at the Columbus Torah Academy in Columbus, Ohio.
Court papers say that the posts were discovered on the Discord social media platform, and that he stated, “I’m at a Jewish school and about to make it everyone’s problem.”
He is also accused of saying that “The playground is about to turn into a self-defense situation” and that he “wanted to shoot parents coming to pick up their children”.
The suspect was arrested and is being held on a $1m bond at Franklin County Jail. A hearing in the case will be held on 8 April.
Prosecutors say that he has been fired form the school and also suspended from the National Guard.
In the wake of the arrest, the Columbus Division of Police provided security at the school.
The Columbus Torah Academy told 10TV that immediate action was taken to identify the source of the threat and there was no risk to the campus.
JewishColumbus released a statement, calling the incident a “cowardly act of intimidation.”
”For far too long Jews have been mentally and physically intimidated in spaces online, at schools, universities and in our community,” they said.
“Virulent antisemitic rhetoric breeds extremism and has no place in our community.”
The Anti-Defamation League said that the incident was a “reminder of the ongoing security challenges facing the Jewish community.”
“For millennia, Jews have been threatened, intimidated, and persecuted,” they said.
“This is yet another sobering reminder that antisemitism left unchecked breeds extremism and violence. Antisemitism has no place in Columbus, Ohio, or anywhere. We will continue to work tirelessly to stamp out antisemitism whenever, and wherever we see it.”
