An Alpharetta man faces a federal charge after allegedly posting an online threat demanding U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attack a Chabad synagogue.

Jonathan Mark Susor was arrested by the Alpharetta Police Department on Sept. 25, the same day a federal criminal complaint was filed against him in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, JNS reported.

Susor allegedly posted the threat on X on July 28. He was in Fulton County at the time, while Hegseth was in Washington, according to the complaint.

In the post, Susor allegedly demanded Hegseth "clear out a Chabad synagogue" and threatened that "your entire family is going to be killed," according to the complaint. The threat did not name a specific synagogue.

The account that posted the threat had also previously posted other threats against Hegseth and his family, including photographs of Hegseth and his children, according to the complaint.

Charges

Susor faces a federal charge of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Fulton County jail records list additional state charges: three counts of disseminating information related to terrorism via computer, three counts of making terror threats, one count of stalking and one count of harassing communications, according to JNS.

Susor was held on a $10,000 bond, CrownHeights.info reported.

No next court date has been publicly announced.

Security response

The Secure Community Network (SCN), a Jewish community security organization, identified the threatening posts and notified Jewish community security officials and law enforcement, according to CrownHeights.info. The SCN and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta then issued a security alert to Jewish institutions in the area.

The federation, the SCN and law enforcement assessed the situation and determined there was no credible ongoing threat to the Jewish community. Jewish institutions were urged to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.

The arrest comes as Jewish institutions nationwide spend an estimated $1.015 billion a year on security. That figure represents a 33% increase from $765 million in 2024, according to data from the Jewish Federations of North America reported by the North Atlanta Star. The FBI recorded 1,528 anti-Jewish hate-crime incidents in 2025, down from 1,938 in 2024 but still the third-highest annual total on record.

The Alpharetta Police Department has not released a public statement about the arrest. The case is pending in federal court.

Residents can report suspicious activity to the Alpharetta Police Department at 678-297-6300 or the FBI's Atlanta field office at 770-216-3000.