California man suspected of threatening synagogue free on bond

[June 18, 2019]  (Reuters) - California police have arrested a man suspected of making online threats to shoot up a Jewish temple, saying he had a fascination with Adolf Hitler and planned to emulate a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and a similar one near San Diego.

Police said on Monday that Ross Farca, 23, of Concord, Ca., was freed on a bond of $125,000 over the weekend, after being charged with making criminal threats, possession of an illegal assault rifle and manufacturing an assault rife, all felonies.

Police have been tight-lipped about the case, announcing on Friday that Farca was arrested on June 10 and held in the Contra Costa County Jail.

Farca pleaded not guilty to all charges at an arraignment last week, according to the East Bay Times.

The newspaper and other media said Farca had posted online that he wanted to mimic the gunman in the San Diego incident, "except with a Nazi uniform on," and aimed for a body count of "at least 30," using anti-Semitic slurs throughout.

In the San Diego incident in April, a gunman walked into the Chabad of Poway crowded with Sabbath worshippers, and opened fire with an assault-style rifle, killing one woman and wounding three people.

That followed a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, last October, which killed 11 worshippers.

Police said they did not find any ammunition during a search last week of Farca's home that uncovered empty high-capacity magazines, camouflage clothing, a sword and Nazi literature.

The FBI is also investigating the case, Concord police said in statement on Facebook.

It was unclear early on Monday if Farca was represented by an attorney. His next court date is June 25.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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