text: Jerusalem (CNN) A Jewish teenager was arrested Thursday in connection with a series of bomb threats that have rattled Jewish institutions and community centers across the United States and other countries, Israeli police said. 
   
   A months-long international investigation led to the 19-year-old suspect, who used "advanced camouflage technologies" to cover his tracks, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. 
   
   The suspect holds dual American-Israeli citizenship, an Israeli security official told CNN. He was arrested in southern Israel after an undercover investigation with the FBI. 
   
   The threats were made against sites in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. In one case, an airline had to make an emergency landing, Rosenfeld said. 
   
   Law enforcement officials have told CNN they believed many of the threatening calls to Jewish community centers originated overseas. 
   
   Israeli police are still trying to determine the teen suspect's motive. The FBI confirmed the arrest and said in a statement it could not provide further information. 
   
   'Relieved' reaction 
   
   JCC Association of North America President and CEO Doron Krakow said he was "gratified" by the arrest but added that he was "troubled" by the suspect's background. 
   
   "We are troubled to learn that the individual suspected of making these threats against Jewish Community Centers, which play a central role in the Jewish community, as well as serve as inclusive and welcoming places for all, is reportedly Jewish," Krakow said. 
   
   Other leaders of Jewish institutions, including the Anti-Defamation League, said they were "relieved" by the arrest. 
   
   "While the details of this crime remain unclear, the impact of this individual's actions is crystal clear: These were acts of anti-Semitism," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. "These threats targeted Jewish institutions, were calculated to sow fear and anxiety and put the entire Jewish community on high alert." 
   
   "We're very relieved that the person was caught," Rick Zakalik, executive director of the JCC of Greater Buffalo, told CNN. "It's obviously a very disturbed young man, and I pity his parents." 
   
   US Attorney General Jeff Sessions commended the FBI and Israeli National Police for their work on the case. 
   
   "Today's arrest in Israel is the culmination of a large-scale investigation spanning multiple continents for hate crimes against Jewish communities across our country," Sessions said in a statement. "The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs." 
   
   The suspect 
   
   The teenager has a history of behavioral issues and was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor when he was 14, his attorney, Galit Besh, told CNN. 
   
   The suspect's father was detained and questioned in connection to the investigation, Besh said. 
   
   Shiraz Biton, a neighbor in the southern Israel city of Ashkelon, said that she has seen the suspect and his family a lot. The suspect was "quiet" and "introverted" and seemed a "little strange," she said. 
   
   "He was always alone," Biton said. "Him and his laptop." 
   
   Rampant threats in US 
   
   In the US alone, more than 100 bomb threats have been made this year against Jewish community centers and schools. The threats were spread across 33 states and most came as part of five waves. 
   
   The incidents reached such a critical mass that President Donald Trump addressed the matter several weeks ago in his first speech to Congress 
   
   "Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries ... remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms," Trump said. 
   
   The calls were "unprecedented" for their methodical approach and sophistication, said Paul Goldenberg, who advises Jewish organizations on security as national director of the Secure Community Network. 
   
   "These masking technologies are very effective," he previously told CNN. 
   
   Previous suspect arrested 
   
   JUST WATCHED Fired journalist arrested for JCC threats Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Fired journalist arrested for JCC threats 03:02 
   
   On March 3, a fired reporter was arrested and accused of making at least eight of the bomb threats. 
   
   But the accusation against Thompson accounted for just a small fraction of the more than 100 bomb threats received by Jewish institutions this year, according to data from the JCC Association of North America. ||||| JERUSALEM — A monthslong wave of bomb threats against Jewish institutions in the United States that prompted evacuations, heightened security and fears of rising anti-Semitism gave way to an unexpected twist on Thursday. The person responsible for many of the threats, law enforcement officials said, was half a world away, in Israel, a Jewish teenager. 
   
   An intensive investigation spanning multiple countries culminated on Thursday in the arrest of the 18-year-old suspect, who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, and his father. The teenager’s lawyer said he had a brain tumor that could affect his behavior. 
   
   The surge in threats over the past few months — well over 100 sent to Jewish community centers, schools and museums since the start of the year — coincided with an increase in hate crimes against a number of groups, from scrawled swastikas to homicides, feeding worries about a new era of bigotry. American and Israeli officials refused to say how many of those threats the suspect was accused of making. And some recent anti-Semitic acts were apparently committed by others, like threats against Jewish centers for which a Missouri man was charged, and the vandalizing of Jewish cemeteries. 
   
   But officials made it clear that they considered the teenager, who lived in the Ashkelon area of southern Israel, to be the primary source of the threats, though they did not offer a motive. “This is the guy we are talking about,” an Israeli police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said. ||||| A 19-year-old Jewish resident of Israel with both American and Israeli citizenship is suspected of being behind a host of fake bomb threats directed at Jewish institutions and other targets worldwide. 
   
   The cybercrimes unit of the Israel Police made the arrest on Thursday after receiving intelligence from the FBI and other foreign agencies. Police seized computers and other items investigators say helped the suspect evade detection. 
   
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   The suspect’s father was also arrested, and a judge ordered both of them to remain in custody for eight additional days. 
   
   skip - Israeli Police Arrest Teen for 'Hundreds' of Bomb Threats Against Jewish Centers Worldwide 
   
   Israeli Police Arrest Teen for 'Hundreds' of Bomb Threats Against Jewish Centers Worldwide Haaretz 
   
   The suspect has lived in Israel many years. The army refused to draft him after finding him unfit for service. The suspect's motive is unknown, but police accuse him of hundreds of incidents involving threats to institutions around the world, including Israel, over a period of two or three years. 
   
   >> Read more: Israel's bomb threat arrest leads to varied Jewish verdicts >> 
   
   Some five computers were confiscated as well as other equipment, including antennas he used to access other people's networks and to commit the alleged crimes undetected. This initially threw off the police and it led them to question others whose networks were used. Eventually, the police created a profile of the suspect and the technology to find him. Police say that he attempted to grab the gun of an officer who came to his home to arrest him. 
   
   skip - Map of Jewish centers targeted by bomb threats. 
   
   The suspect is not cooperating with police and has refused to grant permission to have his computers searched. 
   
   Upon searching his computer, a bitcoin account was discovered, and it’s being examined whether the suspect received payment for some of the calls he allegedly made. 
   
   He is said to have been home-schooled by his parents and never to have been educated outside the home. 
   
   Police are accusing the suspect of extortion through threats and of false reporting spreading panic. The incidents include alleged calls placed to shopping malls, airports and various Jewish institutions. Investigators are also attempting to determine if the suspect received any money in connection with of the threats attributed to him. 
   
   The police also detained his father for questioning. 
   
   Attorney Galit Bash, who represents the suspect, said that "this is a young man without a criminal record who from a young age suffers from severe medical problems. There is concern that his medical condition affects his cognitive functioning. 
   
   skip - Audio of bomb threats 
   
   "Therefore, we asked the court to order that the young man be referred for a medical examination. The court accepted our claims and instructed the police to examine the young man's medical condition." 
   
   The suspect was brought before Judge Amit Michles, who said that "I believe there is reasonable suspicion to link the suspect to actions attributed to him. 
   
   "The main thing is that a reasonable suspicion already exists at this stage that convincingly links the suspect to the calls that have been attributed to him, known as 'swats,' to different institutions around the world, some of which have led to panic." 
   
   >> Read more: NYPD intelligence chief: One man suspected in most bomb threats against Jewish sites | Everything you need to know about the wave of threats terrorizing U.S. Jews | When bomb threats hit my child's Jewish preschool, I realized there’s no such thing as safe >> 
   
   U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Thursday the arrest in Israel reflected the government's determination not to tolerate hate crimes. 
   
   skip - Israeli-American Teen Arrested for Bomb Threats Against Jewish Institutions Worldwide 
   
   "The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs," Sessions said in a statement. "I commend the FBI and Israeli National Police for their outstanding work on this case." 
   
   JCC Association of North America president and CEO Doron Krakow also responded to the developments. 
   
   “On behalf of the JCC Association of North America and JCCs across the continent, we are gratified by the progress in this investigation, and applaud the commitment and leadership of the FBI and other federal agencies, Israeli law enforcement, and local law enforcement across the United States and Canada. 
   
   “We are troubled to learn that the individual suspected of making these threats against Jewish Community Centers, which play a central role in the Jewish community, as well as serve as inclusive and welcoming places for all – is reportedly Jewish," he said. 
   
   Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt also responded to the arrest. 
   
   "While the details of this crime remain unclear, the impact of this individual’s actions is crystal clear: These were acts of anti-Semitism. These threats targeted Jewish institutions, were calculated to sow fear and anxiety, and put the entire Jewish community on high alert." 
   
   Last month, St. Louis native Juan Thompson, a former reporter, was arrested for his role in a number of bomb threats against Jewish centers, allegedly carried out as part of an ongoing attempt to shame his former girlfriend. 
   
   The first incident attributed to the Israeli suspect is a bomb threat that a Jewish institution in New Zealand received in 2016. Police in New Zealand identified the IP address as originating from Israel. A similar incident occurred in Australia, and Israel was also identified as the source. 
   
   The Israel Police initially struggled to locate the suspect but then received several reports of threats from 16 Jewish centers in nine U.S. states – Florida, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and North Carolina. The FBI began investigating. Delta Airlines also received a threat about a bomb on one of its planes, causing it to halt flights to check their aircraft and forcing a plane already in the air to land. 
   
   The FBI handed over the information to the Israel Police after finding that these threats too had originated from Israel. Using innovative technology, the police were able to identify the suspect's home. 
   
   The Rishon Letzion Magistrate's Court is expected to extend his custody on Thursday. 
   
   An audio of one of the calls was obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in which the caller stated: 
   
   "It’s a C-4 bomb with a lot of shrapnel, surrounded by a bag (inaudible). In a short time, a large number of Jews are going to be slaughtered. Their heads are going to [sic] blown off from the shrapnel. There’s a lot of shrapnel. There’s going to be a bloodbath that’s going to take place in a short time. I think I told you enough. I must go." 
   
   Reuters contributed to this report.
target: – A Jewish teen with American-Israeli citizenship is behind dozens of threats made against Jewish community centers in the US, Israeli police say. The 19-year-old male living in the Ashkelon area of Israel was arrested Thursday after a months-long investigation involving the FBI, Israeli police rep Micky Rosenfeld tells CNN. Police say the teen used neighbors' internet connections, voice manipulation, and other "advanced camouflage technologies" to hide his identity while making threats against Jewish centers in the US, Australia, and New Zealand, the New York Times reports, via Israel Radio. However, police believe he's also responsible for hundreds of other threats around the world over two or three years, reports Haaretz. Those include threats against shopping malls and airports. In one case, he forced a Delta flight to make an emergency landing, police say. Authorities say five computers, antennas, and other equipment were seized from his residence. Per Haaretz, the teen tried to grab the gun of an officer who arrived to arrest him; he was previously found unfit for military service in Israel. Police had previously said they were searching for a single individual believed to be behind the majority of more than 100 bomb threats made against Jewish centers in the US this year. "This is the guy we are talking about," Rosenfeld says. The teen appeared in court on Thursday. (Federal officials have also traced some of the bomb threats to a jilted ex-boyfriend.)