Michael Kedar, a 27-year-old Israeli-American known as the “Ashkelon hacker,” was extradited from Norway to the United States and appeared Monday for an indictment hearing in federal court in Orlando. He had already served a sentence in Israel before the transfer. U.S. prosecutors say that if convicted, he could face as much as 35 years behind bars.
According to the indictment, Kedar carried out a series of threatening calls in early 2017 to Jewish institutions across Florida, falsely warning of planted bombs and shootings. The calls triggered widespread panic, mass evacuations and temporary closures of schools and community facilities. Large police and emergency teams were dispatched, but thorough searches found no explosives and confirmed the threats were hoaxes.
The Florida case is only one of several federal cases pending against him in the United States. In Washington, D.C., he is charged with threatening the Israeli Embassy and the Anti-Defamation League offices. In Georgia, he faces charges over online harassment and a false report to police about a fictitious hostage situation at a private home, allegedly intended to send armed tactical units to the victim’s address.
If convicted, the charges carry separate maximum penalties of up to 20 years for hate crimes, up to 10 years for bomb threats, and up to five years for interstate threats. The court could also order restitution. The U.S. Department of Justice stressed that the indictment is only an allegation and that Kedar remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
