A man is in police custody for allegedly making threats to blow up a Jewish center in Florida. Identified as 42-year-old Alier Ojeda Salas, he stands accused of issuing the threats, which took place on a Tuesday, as stated in a police report examined by Law&Crime. Reportedly, he approached a security guard stationed outside a Jewish school in Miami Beach, where the guard was identifiable by his yarmulke, a traditional Jewish head covering.
According to the police report, Ojeda Salas engaged with the security guard while standing between the school and a nearby synagogue. He reportedly uttered, "I am Hamas," while pointing to a plastic bag he held, which he claimed contained the explosive C-4.
The guard requested clarification, to which Ojeda Salas repeated, "I am Hamas," while again pointing to the bag and mentioning C-4, as per the police report.
In response to the threat, the security guard, referred to in the police report as Mr. Maya, acted promptly out of concern for his own safety, the welfare of the schoolchildren, and the congregation. Maya alerted both the school and Beth Israel Congregation about the potential threat of a destructive device containing C-4. Students were relocated to a safe area, and the school initiated a lockdown.
Maya then contacted the Miami Beach police and followed Ojeda Salas as he attempted to leave the scene. Ultimately, the defendant was detained, with multiple Orthodox Jewish community members observed in the vicinity of the incident and Ojeda Salas' detention, as detailed in the report.
According to the arrest affidavit, no weapon was confiscated during Ojeda Salas' apprehension. He now faces several charges, including threatening to use a bomb or destructive device, disrupting a religious assembly or school, assault with prejudice related to an individual's religion, and harassing or intimidating someone based on their religious or ethnic background.
During Ojeda Salas' arraignment, Eleventh Circuit Criminal Judge Mindy S. Glazer set a combined bond amount of $60,000, with $25,000 for both the threatening and disrupting charges and $5,000 each for the assault and harassment charges, as reported by Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ. Ojeda Salas, through a translator, claimed to be homeless and unable to post bond.
Records from Miami Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation reveal that Ojeda Salas is also subject to an ICE detainer, with his country of origin not immediately clear.
Ojeda Salas' arrest transpired during a period of escalated tensions between Israel and the Palestinian people in Gaza, marked by conflict and violence, including attacks on civilians.
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