Bridgeport synagogue bomb threats unfounded, traced to Florida man, police say

A Florida man with a history of mental health issues called in two bomb threats to a Bridgeport synagogue Friday, prompting evacuations and a swift police response to the congregation just two days before the one-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year.

Congregation B’nai Israel was evacuated mid-afternoon Friday while police investigated, but no devices were found and no one was hurt, Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez said.

The calls were traced later in the afternoon to a Florida man in his 60s with documented mental health issues and a history of making similar fake threats in the past, Bridgeport police said Friday night. He will not be arrested, police said.

“We are in touch with his family and they are taking measures to keep him away from access to telephones,” Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said. “There is no current threat to this synagogue or any others in the area that we are aware of.”

Read more: https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-br-bridgeport-synagogue-bomb-threats-20191025-idvucskuv5c43jl5ip2bechrxq-story.html