MINNEAPOLIS — On Friday a man was arrested for terroristic threats nearly a month after Minneapolis police received several phone calls threatening a local synagogue.
On Saturday, Oct. 5, Minneapolis police announced in a press release that a 21-year-old man was arrested and booked into the Hennepin County Jail for terroristic threats.
Police said this arrest was related to several phone calls on Sept. 11. Staff members told officers they got the calls from a person who threatened to "shoot up" Temple Israel. An investigation began immediately, officials said.
An officer providing a special security detail around the Temple was notified on Oct. 3 that a man was seen outside with a firearm. Officers said the man fled the area before police could arrest him.
Officials said the man spotted at the temple was the same man who made the threatening phone calls.
Members of the Southside REACT team found the man and arrested him for terroristic threats, police said.
“Everyone in Minneapolis has the right to feel safe in their communities, and we will ensure our Jewish neighbors are protected as they celebrate the holy days,” Chief O’Hara said in a statement. “We take all threats made against our religious institutions seriously, and will continue to hold the individuals accountable who threaten any of our city’s houses of worship. I am incredibly grateful for the work of investigators in this case for quickly responding to the threats and likely preventing a tragedy from occurring.”
At the beginning of September Chief O'Hara announced Minneapolis police would provide more security near Jewish synagogues for both the Jewish holy days and the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
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The Jewish High Holidays include Rosh Hashanah, beginning before sundown on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and ending after nightfall on Friday, Oct. 4 and Yom Kippur, beginning before sundown on Friday, Oct. 11 and ending after nightfall on Shabbat, Oct. 12.
