Newly released bodycam footage shows Miami man arrested for threatening to bomb Jewish school in Miami Beach – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

MIAMI (WSVN) – Newly released police body camera footage, exclusively obtained by 7News, showed a man being hauled away in handcuffs, accused of making troubling threats outside a Jewish school in Miami Beach.

On Oct. 17, 42-year-old Alier Ojeda Salas was arrested and is facing a handful of felonies after, police said, he went to Shalom Montessori School and told an armed security guard “I am Hamas.”

According to the arrest report, he then “pointed to a plastic bag that he was holding in his hand,” and “the defendant went on to state it’s C-4, a known explosive.”

Miami Beach Police said the security guard asked him to repeat what he said, and he did.

Before Salas walked off and away from the school, police were promptly called.

The report goes on to say that “Students were then moved to a safe space,” and “a lock down of the school was initiated.”

The chilling encounter happened 10 days after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, and it came in a predominately Jewish section of Mid-Beach.

According to police, after Salas made his threats, he walked to the 400 block of 40th Street, where he was be met by officers and was caught and cuffed.

The alleged crime was one of several recent instances of antisemitism that have been reported in the general area.

Blocks away and days later, there was another incident at a South Beach business. A suspect was caught on camera slashing an Israeli flag sign at Bagel Time Cafe.

The sign was repaired, but exactly a month later, a woman finished the job by ripping it down, taking it to the street and stomping on it while on Alton Road.

That women has not been found.

But the original Bagel Time vandal from the Oct. 28 slashing was caught on Friday, according to police.

“First of all, I’ve got to give [credit] to the police officers of Miami Beach,” said Josh Nodel, owner of Bagel Time Cafe.

As for who threatened the school, police said they didn’t find any explosives, but Salas faces the most serious charges. He is being charged with threatening to throw a bomb or device with prejudice, assault with prejudice and other offenses.

Some of those other offenses include harassment based on religion or ethnicity and disturbing a school or religious assembly with prejudice.

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