A Palestinian community centre in New Jersey, US, was inundated with threats on June 1 by a caller who threatened to bomb the centre and physically and sexually assault the staff.

The caller, who said his name was ‘Jebediah’ called the Palestinian American Community Centre (PACC) seven times starting just before noon unleashing curse words, calling them terrorists and threatening attacks. He called again several times at around 5:15 pm saying he was going to bomb the centre and that he was nearby. He also referenced Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu.

PACC Executive Director, Rania Mustafa, said the staff was “extremely upset and shaken up” by the incident. “We have been getting aggressive calls on the issue, but we haven’t got direct threats on staff [until now],” he said.

Clifton Police are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime, said Detective Lt Robert Bracken. Police had a patrol car outside the centre. Community members who work in security came to volunteer at the centre and check who is coming and going. The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said a complaint had been filed with the FBI.