Synagogue bomb plot thwarted in Colorado

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Undercover agents arrested a man shortly before he planned to blow up a historic synagogue in Colorado, officials said Monday. Richard Holzer, 27, tried to buy what he thought were pipe bombs and 14 sticks of dynamite from FBI agents on Friday. He had planned to blow up Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colo., the next day. He appeared in court on Monday, with his next hearing scheduled for Thursday.

What were his motives? The local Anti-Defamation League said it had been monitoring Holzer’s online activity since May 2016 and sharing information with law enforcement. Holzer repeatedly espoused anti-Semitic views in his messages to an FBI agent. When authorities arrested him, he waived his right to remain silent and called Jews and synagogues a “cancer” to the community, according to court documents.

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s reflections in WORLD Magazine on an April shooting at a synagogue in California.

Rachel Lynn Aldrich

Rachel is a former assistant editor for WORLD Digital. She is a Patrick Henry College and World Journalism Institute graduate. Rachel resides with her husband in Wheaton, Ill.