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Monday, April 11, 2011

NY: FBI hunting mad bomber who might be lurking in city



A mad bomber could be on the loose in New York City.

The FBI is scouring the city after learning that the man wanted for last Thursday's bombing at a California synagogue was headed for New York. The feds believe Ron Hirsch, 60, bought a bus ticket east after the 6:45 a.m. blast outside a Santa Monica temple and was possibly on his way to hide out with family and friends in the Big Apple.

"He is considered extremely dangerous," a law-enforcement source told The Post.

Hirsch bought a Greyhound bus ticket after the attack and is believed to have gotten off the bus at least once, in Denver.

"There are at least 10 destinations in between Los Angeles and New York," the FBI said in a joint statement with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and Santa Monica PD.

Investigators are not certain Hirsch got back on the bus in Denver, or if he made it all the way to New York.

"Additional investigation has determined that Hirsch may have disembarked the bus in Denver and may have further deviated from his original route," the statement said.

Hirsch, a homeless man, also goes by the name "Israel Fisher" and is known to frequent synagogues seeking charity from patrons, according to a report by KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.
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SANTA MONICA (KTLA) -- Authorities believe a homeless man wanted in an explosion that rocked a Jewish Community Center in Santa Monica has left California.

According to the FBI, 60-year old Ron Hirsch left Los Angeles Thursday on a Greyhound bus bound for New York where he has family.

But agents believe Hirsch got off the bus before reaching New York, possibly in Denver.

"There are at least 10 destinations in between Los Angeles and New York," the FBI said in a joint statement with the ATF and Santa Monica PD.

"Additional investigation has determined that Hirsch may have disembarked the bus in Denver and may have further deviated from his original route."

Hirsch, who also goes by the name "Israel Fisher," is known to frequent synagogues seeking charity from patrons, Santa Monica Police Sgt. Jay Trisler said.

Hirsch is described as white, 5'7" tall and 207 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.

He is being sought on charges of possessing a destructive device and should be considered "extremely dangerous," according to a police bulletin.

The cause of the explosion was initially believed to be the result of a "mechanical failure," but police now say the blast was actually triggered by a homemade explosive device purposely placed there.

The blast sent a 300-pound metal pipe encased in concrete hurtling through the air and crashing through the roof of a home next door to the Chabad House.

After an initial investigation, bomb technicians "conducted further forensic analysis at the scene and, after unearthing much of the large portion of the cement found, uncovered materials indicating that the device appeared to have been deliberately constructed," Trisler said.

About 100 people were evacuated from the Chabad House Lubavich of Santa Monica, located in the 1400 block of 17th Street, near Broadway Street after the 6:45 a.m. explosion.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for tips on Hirsch's whereabouts.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact detectives at 310-458-8427

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