Man accused of threatening to kill Jews near Miami over three-day period, police say

Omar Rodríguez Ortiz
·2 min read
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A man threatened to stab and kill several Jews in a three-day rampage in Sunny Isles Beach, including threatening a group with a pointed object after they had left a temple, authorities and witnesses said.

Mohammad Ali Alsaccal, 39, held a silver blunt object close to the face of a man walking his dog around 11 p.m. Thursday near 17000 North Bay Road, the man told Sunny Isles Beach police. He said Alsaccal then began to shake the object close to his face vigorously.

The dog walker said he moved away and called the police.

But that was not the end of Alsaccal’s crime spree, according to authorities.

Around 7:30 p.m. Friday, a group of Orthodox Jews left a temple and were walking near 18900 Collins Ave. when they spotted Alsaccal pointing an object toward them, police said.

After Alsaccal walked past them, he turned around and ran toward them with the object raised in his hand, yelling: “Get out of my way. I’m going to stab you,” witnesses told investigators.

The group ran away and asked a person nearby to call the police.

The next day, around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, two Orthodox Jews were reading the Torah and walking toward a synagogue, crossing Collins Avenue at 174th Street, when Alsaccal pulled a silver-colored object out of his pocket and began spewing antisemitic insults.

Alsaccal also said “Jews must die,” according to his arrest report.

The two ran toward Samson Park, 17425 Collins Ave., and called the police. After officers got a description of the man, they found him near 18600 Collins Ave., police said. When the two confirmed Alsaccal was the one who had threatened them, he was arrested.

Officers say they found a silver pen in a pocket in Alsaccal’s pants. Alsaccal denied making the threats or arming himself with the pen, police said.

He remained at Miami-Dade County’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $32,500 bond as of Monday. According to jail records, Alsaccal, a Sunny Isles Beach resident, is being held for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was born in Jordan, said a report in the Jerusalem Post.

Alsaccal is charged with nine counts of threatening or harassing someone because of their religious or ethnic heritage and two counts of attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.