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| Man Charged With Trying to Blow Up Jewish Assisted-Living Home | Man Charged With Trying to Blow Up Jewish Assisted-Living Home |
| (17 days later) | |
| A Massachusetts man was charged on Wednesday with trying to blow up a Jewish assisted-living center that had been targeted for attack on a white supremacist website that promoted a “Jew killing day,” federal prosecutors said. | A Massachusetts man was charged on Wednesday with trying to blow up a Jewish assisted-living center that had been targeted for attack on a white supremacist website that promoted a “Jew killing day,” federal prosecutors said. |
| The man, John Michael Rathbun, 36, was charged in federal court in Western Massachusetts with two counts of attempted arson after the authorities said he tried to ignite a five-gallon plastic gas canister outside Ruth’s House, an assisted-living home in Longmeadow, Mass., on the morning of April 2. | The man, John Michael Rathbun, 36, was charged in federal court in Western Massachusetts with two counts of attempted arson after the authorities said he tried to ignite a five-gallon plastic gas canister outside Ruth’s House, an assisted-living home in Longmeadow, Mass., on the morning of April 2. |
| Federal prosecutors said that Mr. Rathbun’s DNA matched bloodstains that were found on the handle of the canister and on a partly charred Christian religious pamphlet that had been stuffed in the nozzle as a fuse. Mr. Rathbun’s mother told federal agents that she prints and distributes Christian pamphlets but did not recognize the one in the gas canister. | Federal prosecutors said that Mr. Rathbun’s DNA matched bloodstains that were found on the handle of the canister and on a partly charred Christian religious pamphlet that had been stuffed in the nozzle as a fuse. Mr. Rathbun’s mother told federal agents that she prints and distributes Christian pamphlets but did not recognize the one in the gas canister. |
| The canister was found within feet of a widely used pedestrian walkway, about 50 yards from Ruth’s House, the authorities said. | The canister was found within feet of a widely used pedestrian walkway, about 50 yards from Ruth’s House, the authorities said. |
| The 64-unit home, which serves kosher food but is open to older people of all religious backgrounds, is part of a section that includes several Jewish institutions, including three temples, a Jewish private school and a Jewish community center, federal prosecutors said. | The 64-unit home, which serves kosher food but is open to older people of all religious backgrounds, is part of a section that includes several Jewish institutions, including three temples, a Jewish private school and a Jewish community center, federal prosecutors said. |
| “It really targeted this small but tight-knit Jewish community,” said Eric P. Lesser, the state senator from Longmeadow, who added that the institutions need more funding for security. “People are on edge and people are concerned.” | “It really targeted this small but tight-knit Jewish community,” said Eric P. Lesser, the state senator from Longmeadow, who added that the institutions need more funding for security. “People are on edge and people are concerned.” |
| Ruth’s House had been targeted for attack on two social media platforms operated by an unnamed white supremacist group, according to a criminal complaint. One user on March 4 had discussed a mass killing at “that jew nursing home in longmeadow Massachusetts,” and another had created a calendar listing for April 3 called “jew killing day.” | Ruth’s House had been targeted for attack on two social media platforms operated by an unnamed white supremacist group, according to a criminal complaint. One user on March 4 had discussed a mass killing at “that jew nursing home in longmeadow Massachusetts,” and another had created a calendar listing for April 3 called “jew killing day.” |
| The F.B.I. was not sure whether Mr. Rathbun was involved with the white supremacist group, but said his computer had been seized and an investigation was continuing, according to the complaint. | The F.B.I. was not sure whether Mr. Rathbun was involved with the white supremacist group, but said his computer had been seized and an investigation was continuing, according to the complaint. |
| “Unfortunately, at this time, I’ve been advised not to comment,” Mr. Rathbun said in a brief telephone interview on Thursday. “I have nothing to say.” | “Unfortunately, at this time, I’ve been advised not to comment,” Mr. Rathbun said in a brief telephone interview on Thursday. “I have nothing to say.” |
| The incident came as assisted-living centers and nursing homes around the country have been ravaged by the coronavirus outbreak and as Jews have faced spasms of anti-Semitic violence, including attacks on synagogues in Poway, Calif., last April and in Pittsburgh in 2018. | The incident came as assisted-living centers and nursing homes around the country have been ravaged by the coronavirus outbreak and as Jews have faced spasms of anti-Semitic violence, including attacks on synagogues in Poway, Calif., last April and in Pittsburgh in 2018. |
| Anti-Semitic attacks in the New York area have also been more frequent in recent months, with three people killed in a shooting at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City, N.J., and a knife attack at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, N.Y. | Anti-Semitic attacks in the New York area have also been more frequent in recent months, with three people killed in a shooting at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City, N.J., and a knife attack at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, N.Y. |
| “In times of national crisis, hatred based on religion often blossoms into violence,” said Andrew E. Lelling, the United States attorney for Massachusetts. “We will find, investigate and aggressively prosecute anyone engaged in this kind of mayhem.” | “In times of national crisis, hatred based on religion often blossoms into violence,” said Andrew E. Lelling, the United States attorney for Massachusetts. “We will find, investigate and aggressively prosecute anyone engaged in this kind of mayhem.” |
| Updated July 16, 2020 | |
| Mr. Rathbun, who made an appearance in federal court via videoconference on Wednesday, has not yet entered a plea. A federal magistrate judge, Katherine A. Robertson, initially released him to home confinement in East Longmeadow, Mass., over the objections of prosecutors, who said the decision “appears to have been greatly influenced by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.” | Mr. Rathbun, who made an appearance in federal court via videoconference on Wednesday, has not yet entered a plea. A federal magistrate judge, Katherine A. Robertson, initially released him to home confinement in East Longmeadow, Mass., over the objections of prosecutors, who said the decision “appears to have been greatly influenced by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.” |
| On Friday, a federal judge, Mark G. Mastroianni, ordered that Mr. Rathbun be detained. | On Friday, a federal judge, Mark G. Mastroianni, ordered that Mr. Rathbun be detained. |
| Mr. Rathbun’s federal public defender, Timothy Watkins, had argued that home confinement was appropriate. He pointed to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in jails and said that, given the notoriety generated by Mr. Rathbun’s arrest, and a stay-at-home order in Massachusetts, “it is frankly inconceivable that Rathbun would venture out into a lightly traveled world.” | Mr. Rathbun’s federal public defender, Timothy Watkins, had argued that home confinement was appropriate. He pointed to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in jails and said that, given the notoriety generated by Mr. Rathbun’s arrest, and a stay-at-home order in Massachusetts, “it is frankly inconceivable that Rathbun would venture out into a lightly traveled world.” |
| Ruth’s House is part of a 23-acre campus that includes a rehabilitation center and several other facilities run by JGS Lifecare, which was founded in 1912 by 13 Jewish women as the Daughters of Zion Home for the Aged in Springfield, Mass. | Ruth’s House is part of a 23-acre campus that includes a rehabilitation center and several other facilities run by JGS Lifecare, which was founded in 1912 by 13 Jewish women as the Daughters of Zion Home for the Aged in Springfield, Mass. |
| Even before the attempted arson, JGS Lifecare was in crisis. More than 90 of its residents and 40 staff members had tested positive for the coronavirus and 21 residents had died from the virus, according to a letter from the group’s leaders on April 10. Ruth’s House had no confirmed cases, the letter stated. | Even before the attempted arson, JGS Lifecare was in crisis. More than 90 of its residents and 40 staff members had tested positive for the coronavirus and 21 residents had died from the virus, according to a letter from the group’s leaders on April 10. Ruth’s House had no confirmed cases, the letter stated. |
| “JGS Lifecare is under attack,” the organization said in court papers on Friday. “Attack from a silent virus that has invaded our walls intended to protect our most vulnerable population, our frail and sick elders. And now JGS Lifecare is under a premeditated and deliberate attack, from a man filled with hate and venom who consciously wants to kill the Jews who we care for, together with the people of all faiths and backgrounds who we care for.” | “JGS Lifecare is under attack,” the organization said in court papers on Friday. “Attack from a silent virus that has invaded our walls intended to protect our most vulnerable population, our frail and sick elders. And now JGS Lifecare is under a premeditated and deliberate attack, from a man filled with hate and venom who consciously wants to kill the Jews who we care for, together with the people of all faiths and backgrounds who we care for.” |
| Joseph R. Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s Boston division, said that the case “highlights the very real threat posed by racially motivated violent extremists.” | Joseph R. Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s Boston division, said that the case “highlights the very real threat posed by racially motivated violent extremists.” |
| He added that the bureau and its partners were determined to use every investigative tool “to identify, assess and disrupt threats like this one to keep our communities safe.” | He added that the bureau and its partners were determined to use every investigative tool “to identify, assess and disrupt threats like this one to keep our communities safe.” |