Police: Lexington man charged over threats to local religious leader, Jewish student center
Lexington police arrested and charged a man who allegedly made threats to the Chabad Jewish Student Center, officials announced Monday.
Sendil Nathan, 58, was charged with second-degree terroristic threatening. Police said he made threats to the student center and a local religious leader for several days.
Nathan’s threats featured hate speech and were focused on Jewish faith, police said.
Nathan was arrested Monday and booked into the Fayette County Detention Center, according to jail records. He was being held on a $10,000 bond.
Nathan’s first court appearance was scheduled to happen Monday afternoon, according to court records.
Police started investigating the case after a local rabbi contacted detectives, a police spokesperson said. The Chabad of the Bluegrass later put out a statement about the incident, saying the the threats “did not have their desired effect.” There are plans for a new permanent Jewish center.
“Acts like this do not represent our community at UK or in Lexington,” the Chabad said in a Facebook post. “Kentucky has led the nation in addressing antisemitism in many ways over the last few years, and this hate has no place in our commonwealth.”
The statement also thanked Lexington police for their quick and impactful investigation. The statement said command staff at the police department “paid careful and personal attention to this incident, as did the detectives assigned.”
While the Jewish Student Center provides for the Jewish community at the University of Kentucky, it is not affiliated with UK.
Jay Blanton, a spokesperson for UK, said the university was just learning about the allegations Monday.
“No one should be subject to threats, discrimination or intimidation,” Blanton said. “As the Chabad Center is not affiliated with the institution and is located off campus, our understanding is that Lexington police are investigating.”
Blanton said UK was reaching out to members of the Chabad student organization to provide support.
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This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 1:14 PM.
