Police: Man who threatened to 'shoot up' Minneapolis synagogue on Sept. 11 arrested

With law enforcement presence increasing around Minneapolis synagogues ahead of October's Jewish holidays, police have announced the arrest of a man who allegedly made violent threats against Temple Israel in Uptown.

According to a news release from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), the synagogue received a September 11 phone call in which a man threatened to "shoot up" the site; less than a month later, on Thursday, October 3, Temple Israel security staff reported seeing a man outside with a firearm.

Police say the man fled the area before an officer on special patrol duty could arrest him.

"Investigators learned the man with the firearm was the same man who made the threatening phone calls," the release says. Police have not said how they tracked him down.

The suspect, identified as a 21-year-old man, was arrested for terroristic threats on Oct. 4. No gun was recovered, but he was booked into the Hennepin County Jail pending criminal charges.

BringMeTheNews does not typically name suspects until they have been formally charged with a crime.

“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 Brian 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.”

MPD is providing extra patrols around the city's synagogues for Jewish holy days — like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the latter of which is happening Oct. 11-12 — as well as the one-year anniversary of the October 7, 2024, terrorist attacks in Israel.

The ramped up police presence also comes amid increasing antisemitic incidents and attacks in the U.S., with the Anti-Defamation League recently announcing that such crimes are at an "all-time high."

"The group tracked more than 10,000 incidents from Oct. 7, 2023 to Sept. 24, roughly tripling where they were compared to the same time period last year," the Hill noted.

Temple Israel dates back to 1878 and is Minneapolis' first Jewish congregation; according to the synagogue's website , it has since become one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in North America.