Teen accused of planning mass shooting at Ohio synagogue ordered to write book report on WWII hero

Dec 19, 2023 | Read Now, Voices

The 13-year-old will have to read a book and then write a report about Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, who saved more 62,000 Hungarian Jews during the war, a judge ruled.

A 13-year-old boy who was arrested and accused of planning a mass shooting at an Ohio synagogue will have to write a book report on a Swiss diplomat who saved thousands of Jewish people during World War II, a family court judge ruled.

The teen, who is not being named because of his age, was charged with misdemeanor inducing panic and misdemeanor disorderly conduct after allegedly making a detailed plan to shoot members of Temple Israel in the city of Canton, south of Akron.

The teen pleaded “true,” the juvenile equivalent of guilty, to all counts on Friday, NBC affiliate WKYC of Cleveland reported.

Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James gave the teen a year of probation and ordered that he read a book and then write a report about Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, who saved more than 62,000 Hungarian Jews during World War II, according to the news station.

[The NBC News Report continues]

Although his arrest happened before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, his charges come amid an increase in antisemitic attacks in the United States.


View this NBC News Report from December 19th