Seattle, WA — Washington state joins the rest of the nation as dozens of reported antisemitic and religion-based hate incidents continue to rise this year, prosecutors have filed felony hate-crime charges against a Seattle man accused of threatening to murder members of a synagogue earlier this month.
According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, charges were filed Dec. 17 against a 30-year-old man following an investigation by the Seattle Police Department into violent, anti-Jewish voicemails left at a synagogue in the Capitol Hill area.
Threats Considered Credible
Police say officers responded at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 12 to reports of threats against a religious institution in the 1500 block of East Pike Street. Investigators determined the suspect made multiple phone calls to the synagogue that were automatically routed to a staff member responsible for security.
According to the police report, the suspect left two profane voicemails containing explicit anti-Jewish statements and threats, including a message stating, “When I find you I’m going to murder all of you.”
The victim told police she took the threats seriously and believed they were credible. She notified a Seattle police captain, the synagogue’s religious leadership, and called 911.
Arrest and Charges
During the investigation, officers contacted the suspect by phone, but he refused to identify himself. Using information from dispatch and the department’s Real Time Crime Center, police identified a listed address less than a mile from the synagogue.
At approximately 11:20 p.m., officers arrested the suspect without incident at a residence in the 800 block of Seneca Street. He was booked into King County Jail and is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail.
Following a review by a Seattle police bias-crimes detective, felony charges for Hate Crime Offense were referred and later filed by prosecutors.
Antisemitism in Washington: Recent Context
While police did not disclose a motive beyond the content of the threats, antisemitic incidents have been a growing concern across Washington state, mirroring national trends.
State and law-enforcement reporting shows dozens of religion-motivated hate incidents are recorded in Washington each year, with anti-Jewish bias consistently accounting for a significant share of those cases. Recent years have included investigations into:
- Threats against synagogues and Jewish institutions
- Antisemitic graffiti and vandalism in multiple cities
- Harassing phone calls, emails, and online threats targeting Jewish community members
Civil rights organizations and law enforcement agencies have warned that threats directed at religious institutions carry heightened risk, even when no immediate violence occurs, because they can escalate quickly and require substantial police and security resources.
Ongoing Investigation
Authorities emphasized that hate-crime cases are evaluated not only on the act itself, but on whether the conduct was motivated by bias and whether a reasonable person would view the threat as credible.
The case remains active as it proceeds through the court system.
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