Markel Ible has been handed a 10-month jail term for making the ‘reckless’ call to a synagogue in Leeds
Markel Ible made a hoax call to a synagogue four days after a fatal terror attack in Manchester (Image: Getty Images)
A man who made a “cruel” bomb hoax call to a synagogue in the days after the Heaton Park terror attack has been jailed.
Markel Ible, 32, phoned the Sinai Synagogue in Roundhay, Leeds, on October 6, four days after the fatal attack in Manchester that left two innocent worshippers dead.
In the call, which was made from an unknown number, Ible claimed to have left a bomb that was due to go off the following day at the place of worship, according to prosecutors.
Ann Graham, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said Ible “intended to sow panic and fear” and that the timing of the call made it “all the more disturbing”.
On October 2, the Jewish Holy Day of Yom Kippur, Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, targeted the Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, driving his car at worshippers outside before attacking people with a knife and trying to storm the building.
Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, died and inquests into their deaths are being opened at Manchester Coroners Court today.
Police outside the Heaton Park synagogue following the October 2 terror attack (Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
The CPS said Ible, of St Martins Gardens, Leeds, was charged the day after the bomb hoax call was reported to police.
He pleaded guilty to making a bomb hoax call at a hearing on October 8 and was remanded in custody. Today (October 29) he was jailed for 10 months at Leeds Crown Court.
Ms Graham, senior crown prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “Markel Ible was acutely aware of the consequences of his actions, which were intended to sow panic and fear. The timing of his offence in the wake of the devastating attack in Manchester just days before, makes it all the more disturbing.
“Working closely with the police, we were able to charge Ible and secure a guilty plea within a matter of days. We hope this sends a clear message that the CPS will always seek to prosecute those who spread hatred and antisemitism, in the strongest possible terms.”
Dave Rich, director of policy at the charity Community Security Trust, which works to protect British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism, said: “CST welcomes the Crown Prosecution Service treating this appalling incident with the seriousness it deserves. Ible’s hoax call was not just reckless, it was cruel and calculated, coming just days after the fatal terror attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester.
“The hoax call was designed to spread panic and distress at a time when the community was already feeling vulnerable. It is essential to send out a strong message that this kind of anti-Jewish hate will not be allowed, and we are grateful to the police and the CPS for their swift response.”