Israel convicts hacker who threatened U.S. Jewish centers

JERUSALEM — A Tel Aviv district court has convicted an Israeli Jewish man for making a string of bomb threats targeting Jewish community centers in the United States.

The court did not name the man on Thursday since he was a teen when he committed the crimes. But he’s been identified as a hacker who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship. His sentencing is forthcoming.

The man’s arrest followed a trans-Atlantic investigation with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies. Dozens of anonymous threats last year had stoked fears of rising anti-Semitism.

Police said the man, from southern Israel, used advanced technologies to mask the origin of his calls and communications to synagogues, community buildings and public venues.

His defense attorneys said he was mentally ill and unfit to stand trial.