A 13-year-old boy from Ohio who admitted to planning a mass shooting at a local synagogue earlier this year has been released from prison – but still had the book thrown at him.
The youngster, who has not been named because he is a minor, was sentenced on Friday to read a biography of Carl Lutz, the Swiss diplomat credited with saving more than 62,000 Hungarian Jews during World War II, and then write a book report about it.
The teenager was also given a 90-day suspended sentence and one year of probation, after pleading “true” – the equivalent of juvenile guilty – to misdemeanor charges of inducing panic and disorderly conduct stemming from a foiled plot against the Temple Israel synagogue in Canton, reports Canton Repository.
The 13-year-old allegedly discussed with a Washington state resident about wanting to “burn and shoot” the Jewish synagogue on the social media platform Discord, according to an incident report released by the Stark County Sheriff’s Office and cited by the Repository.
A 13-year-old boy has been sentenced to probation and a book report after he admitted planning a mass shooting at the Temple Israel synagogue in Canton, Ohio. Temple Israel Canton / Facebook
The teenager is said to have obtained a map of the synagogue.
The FBI was alerted by Discord to what the sheriff’s office called a “conversation concerning” the teenager prompting a visit to his family’s home in Plain Township on Sept. 7.
During the interview, the boy confirmed to FBI agents that he was a member of several antisemitic chat groups on the Discord app, according to the report.
The teenager must read a book about Carl Lutz, the Swiss diplomat credited with saving more than 62,000 Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust. ullstein bild via Getty Images
An investigation into the boy’s online activities is said to have uncovered a “detailed plan” to carry out a mass shooting, resulting in his arrest and 10 days in juvenile detention.
“We adhere to a zero tolerance policy when it comes to threats made against our community,” Stark County Sheriff George Maier said in a statement. “Every threat is thoroughly investigated with due diligence. We are working diligently to ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The boy’s family described him to station WKYC as a “good, smart kid” who went to a church that had fallen under the influence of an older man in Discord.
Authorities say the Ohio teenager had a map of the Canton synagogue. Temple Israel Canton / Facebook The teenager reportedly confessed to the FBI that he was a member of several antisemitic groups on the Discord chat app. Reuters
As part of his sentence handed down by Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James, the teenager cannot use the internet unsupervised, must continue counseling with a therapist and submit a book report on Carl Lutz to the juvenile probation department.
If he violates the terms of his probation, he could be locked up for 80 days.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
