January 09, 2017 - 1:11 PM
MIAMI - The Latest on bomb threats made to Jewish community centres in several states (all times local):
5 p.m.
The chair of the Jewish Federations of North America board of trustees says 15 to 19 Jewish community centres in at least six states have been targeted by bomb threats.
Richard Sandler told The Associated Press the number of threats investigated Monday across the South and Northeast was unusually high. Sandler says some were prerecorded calls.
No additional details about the calls were immediately available. Sandler said some of the community centres were evacuated but no explosives were found.
Four of the centres are in Florida. Bomb threats also targeted Jewish community centres and schools in central Florida and Tampa last week, but Sandler said there's no apparent link between those threats and the calls received Monday.
Sandler said the federations' security network was working closely with law enforcement to ensure safety at the community centres.
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2:15 p.m.
Authorities say bomb threats have targeted Jewish community centres in several states, including Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware.
Police said Monday that no explosives were found after bomb threats were received at the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Community Alliance of Jacksonville. At other locations, buildings were evacuated and authorities investigated.
Authorities say Miami-Dade Fire Rescue evacuated the Alper Jewish Community Center, which had about 450 children and 70 adults in it at the time.
Last week, bomb threats targeted two Jewish centres in central Florida and two Jewish preschools in Tampa. Authorities said no explosives were found.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017