Massachusetts man pleads guilty to threatening to kill Jews and bomb synagogues

BOSTON — A Massachusetts man has pleaded guilty in federal court to threatening to kill members of the state’s Jewish community and bomb local synagogues.

John Reardon, 59, of Millis, Massachusetts, pleads guilty to one count of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, one count of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure a person, and one count of stalking using a facility of interstate commerce.

“This defendant’s threats to bomb synagogues and kill Jewish children stoked fear in the hearts of congregants at a time when Jews are already facing a disturbing increase in threats,” Attorney General Merrick Garland says in a statement. “No person and no community in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence.”

Jodi Cohen, the special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Field Office, says the guilty plea sends a message that “you cannot call and threaten people with violent physical harm and not face repercussions.”

“People of all races and faiths deserve to feel safe in their communities,” she says.

In January, Reardon called Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and left a voicemail making several threats to kill congregants and bomb the synagogue, including that “if you can kill the Palestinians, we can kill you,” federal authorities said. Ten minutes later, he allegedly made a call to another local synagogue and a Jewish organization.

Reardon was arrested days later.