The US Justice Department announced that Michael Kadar, 27, a dual US and Israeli citizen known as the "Ashkelon hacker," was extradited to the US and brought before a court in Orlando for the reading of the indictment against him.
Kadar was extradited to the US from Norway, where he had been living after serving a seven-year prison sentence in Israel. Kadar was still a minor when he committed some of the offenses, and his name was therefore under an Israeli gag order until last year.
If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for a hate crime, 10 years in prison for a bomb threat and five years in prison for interstate threats. He could also be ordered to pay restitution.
The indictment charges him with hate crimes and obstructing the free exercise of religion against Jewish institutions, after he allegedly made hoax threats in early 2017 about explosive devices and shootings targeting Jewish community centers and preschools in Florida. He also faces additional charges in Washington and Georgia, including over threats against the Israeli Embassy.
