Israeli-American hacker guilty of terrorising Jewish institutions

An Israeli-American teen hacker was found guilty of sending hundreds of false bomb threats to Jewish institutions around the world, a court here said on Thursday.

The Tel Aviv District Court found the 19-year-old youth guilty of 28 charges, including blackmailing, threatening and sending the police false information, reports Xinhua news agency.

The hacker's identity was not disclosed because he was a minor when many of the crimes were committed.

His lawyers said the court's decision was made under US pressure to convict the youth.

According to his lawyers, the accused has "a mental illness that prevents him from distinguishing between good and evil".

Thursday's conviction refers to only offences committed as an adult but the hacker still awaits a ruling on offences allegedly committed while he was a minor.

According to his indictment, he terrorised some 2,000 institutions, including airports, airline companies, police stations and Jewish schools, by calling them and saying there was a bomb.

Most of the threats were sent to sites in the US.

He digitally disguised his voice, making him sound like a woman.

He was arrested in his home in Ashkelon, a city in southern Israel, in April 2017 following a request by the FBI.

--IANS

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