FBI warns of 'credible' threats to synagogues in New Jersey

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a warning Thursday of a "broad threat" to synagogues in the northeast state of New Jersey, amid an uptick in antisemitic rhetoric around the country.

"The FBI has received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in NJ," the agency's Newark, New Jersey office said in a statement on social media.

"We ask at this time that you take all security precautions to protect your community and facility," they said, adding: "Stay alert."

They gave no details on what kind of threat was posed or the motivation, but said the warning was issued as a "proactive measure" while they investigate the threat.

ABC News cited law enforcement sources saying that it was not a bomb threat.

New Jersey has one of the largest Jewish populations in the United States at 572,000 according to the American Jewish Population Project.

The warning came amid heightened worries about a surge in antisemitism in the country.

Several synagogues have come under attack in recent years. In January 2022, a British Pakistani took four people hostage in a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, demanding the release of an imprisoned al-Qaeda follower.

The four hostages were eventually freed and the kidnapper was shot dead by the FBI.

In 2018, 11 people were killed in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by a right-wing extremist.