The FBI's bomb threat suspect is a former employee of The Intercept

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published 3 March 2017

The man arrested Friday on suspicion of making bomb threats against at least eight Jewish community centers has been confirmed to be Juan Thompson, former writer at The Intercept. Thompson, now 31, worked for the online publication from November 2014 to January 2016, at which point he was fired after it became apparent he'd "fabricated sources and quotes in his articles," Intercept editor Betsy Reed said in a statement Friday. Mediate noted Thompson's false reporting prompted The Intercept to issue a "mass retraction and correction."

Reed said the publication's staff was "horrified" to learn of Thompson's alleged actions and subsequent arrest Friday morning in St. Louis, Missouri. "These actions are heinous and should be fully investigated and prosecuted," Reed said.

Authorities reported Thompson made the anti-Semitic threats as "part of a sustained campaign to harass and intimidate" a woman with whom he once had a romantic relationship, and he has been charged with cyberstalking for allegedly making the threats in the woman's name. Thompson's alleged threats come amid a wave of anti-Semitic violence in the U.S. targeting Jewish community centers and schools, as well as Jewish cemeteries.