Teen plotted with another person to shoot up, burn down Ohio synagogue, sheriff says

CANTON − A 13-year-old boy accused of plotting to carry out a mass shooting at an Ohio synagogue was conspiring with an unknown person in Washington state through the Discord group-chat app, according to a sheriff report released Thursday.

According to the Stark County sheriff's incident report dated Sept. 7, an FBI agent learned of the boy's "threats and plans to burn down and shoot up the Temple Israel."

The agent interviewed the boy, along with sheriff deputies and his mother present on Sept. 7, and told the teen what he had discovered, "which included plans and maps of the synagogue made possibly by the suspect (the boy) and an unknown individual from Washington state sent through the app Discord," the report said. "The suspect did advise that he was a part of multiple antisemitic and political groups on Discord."

The report indicated that the deputies' body cameras recorded the interview. Authorities did not publicly identify the boy.

The deputies later returned to the home to tell the boy's mother that the boy was not to return to his school until the school district's superintendent spoke with her and the boy, the report said.

The Stark County Sheriff's Office issued a statement Thursday saying the boy was subsequently arrested and booked into the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center in Canton Township. The boy faces misdemeanor charges of inducing panic and disorderly conduct. A trial in the case has been scheduled in Stark County Family Court for Dec. 20.

"We stand by a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to threats made against our community," Sheriff George Maier said in a statement. "Every threat is investigated thoroughly with the seriousness it deserves. We work diligently to ensure that those responsible are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Protecting our community is a responsibility we bear with the highest level of commitment and vigilance.”

ABC News reported that Discord alerted the FBI of the incident.

"Discord’s Counter-Extremism analysts proactively detected, removed, and reported this user to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center, which is what led to the user’s arrest. We have a zero-tolerance policy against hate and violent extremism, and when we see it, we take immediate action. It is a top priority for Discord to ensure a safe experience for our users," Discord Vice President of Trust and Safey John Redgrave told ABC.

What is Discord?:And why does it keep coming up in news stories like the Pentagon leak?

Antisemitic hate crimes rose 25% from 2021 to 2022, according to the most recent FBI statistics. Although Jewish people make up only 2.4% of the U.S. population, they are the targets of more than half of all reported religion-based hate crimes.

Since Oct. 7, the Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy group that frequently speaks out against antisemitism and extremism, has tracked 832 anti-Jewish acts in the United States.

The ADL in Cleveland issued a statement saying it was "horrified" by the allegations.

"And for young people like this suspect, we hope this can be a teachable moment," the group said. "Hate and threats on social media, as in real life, cannot and will not be tolerated."