Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Polymarket Bettors Threatened Israeli Journalist Over Missile Report as Platform Bans Accounts

The harassment stemmed from a Polymarket wager that tied payouts to how the March 10 blast near Jerusalem was characterized.

Overview

  • Times of Israel correspondent Emmanuel Fabian reported receiving escalating messages, including death threats and doxxing, pressuring him to change an article on a March 10 explosion.
  • Bettors argued the piece should state debris from an interception fell rather than an intact missile, since the market’s rules excluded intercepted missiles from counting as a strike.
  • Messages referenced individual losses up to $900,000, and coverage cited a $14 million market tied to whether Iran struck Israel that day.
  • Fabian maintained his original reporting, citing the blast’s force and Israeli military confirmations, and he filed a police report over the threats.
  • Polymarket condemned the abuse, said it banned implicated accounts, and the incident has sharpened scrutiny of geopolitical betting and proposed U.S. curbs on markets tied to war or terrorism.