Man Arrested for Alleged Plot to Firebomb Chabad Preschool in Los Angeles
by CrownHeights.info
A 51-year-old Los Angeles man has been arrested on federal charges after allegedly threatening to firebomb a Jewish preschool operated by Chabad-Lubavitch, according to a report published Saturday by the New York Post.
Steven Duenas, of the Los Feliz neighborhood, is accused of planning an attack on JEMS Preschool, a Chabad-affiliated early childhood education program serving young children in the Los Angeles area. Federal investigators allege that Duenas posted antisemitic messages online and threatened to carry out an attack using Molotov cocktails, raising serious concerns about the safety of the children and staff at the preschool.
According to the New York Post’s account of the federal criminal complaint, Duenas published a series of disturbing posts on social media on September 19th, including images and references to incendiary devices. In one post, he allegedly threatened to bomb JEMS Preschool, while other posts contained explicitly antisemitic statements.
The FBI subsequently searched the home Duenas shared with his mother, reportedly in the early morning hours of October 2. Investigators allegedly discovered components they believed were intended for the construction of a Molotov cocktail.
Duenas was arrested and faces federal charges related to threatening communications and the alleged possession of an illegal destructive device. The allegations have not been proven in court.
JEMS Preschool is part of the Chabad of Greater Los Feliz community and provides early childhood education to children as young as 18 months. The alleged plot therefore targeted an institution serving some of the youngest members of the Jewish community.
The New York Post also reported that Duenas’s mother expressed disbelief over the allegations, saying that the situation did not fit her understanding of her son and describing difficulties he had experienced in recent years.
The arrest comes amid continued concerns over antisemitic threats and attacks targeting Jewish institutions across the United States. For Jewish schools and preschools, such threats are particularly alarming because they involve facilities where young children gather daily for education and care.
Federal authorities are pursuing the case as the allegations move through the legal system. Duenas is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.