Michael Kedar, a 27-year-old Israeli-American known as “the hacker from Ashkelon,” was secretly extradited to the United States last week and brought before a federal court in Orlando for his arraignment. Kedar had previously served seven years in prison in Israel after being convicted of making thousands of hoax terror threats against Jewish institutions. He now faces trial in Florida for the same pattern of crimes.
The indictment accuses him of hate crimes and obstructing religious freedom by targeting Jewish community institutions across Florida, including community centers, schools, and kindergartens. Prosecutors say that beginning in early 2017, Kedar launched a calculated campaign of intimidation using fake bomb threats and active shooter warnings. In many cases, the calls forced temporary shutdowns, emergency evacuations of adults and children, and large-scale police and security responses, even though no explosives were found.
If convicted, Kedar could face up to 35 years in prison. Under U.S. law, the hate-crime counts carry maximum penalties of 20 years each, the bomb-threat counts up to 10 years each, and the interstate threat counts up to 5 years each. The court could also order restitution to the institutions and victims affected by the threats.
The case is broader than the Florida indictment alone. An FBI complaint filed in 2017 said that between January and March of that year, Kedar made at least 245 threatening calls, many aimed at Jewish community centers, Jewish schools, and Anti-Defamation League offices. He was later convicted in Israel for about 2,000 hoax threats against Jewish and non-Jewish institutions, including schools, police stations, and airports in various countries. Investigators said he operated from Ashkelon and used technology to hide his identity and the origin of the calls.
At the time, the wave of threats raised widespread fears in the United States of anti-Semitic attacks. Kedar’s motive remains unclear. In Israeli proceedings, he was quoted as telling psychiatrists that he acted “out of boredom.” U.S. Justice Department officials condemned the alleged conduct, saying it was an attack on religious freedom and public safety and that the victims’ distress would not be forgotten.
