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Minneapolis City Council to call for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war

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Minneapolis City Council to call for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war


Several members of the Minneapolis City Council announced Friday a planned resolution in support of Palestinian human rights and an immediate, permanent ceasefire in the latest war between Israel and Hamas. 

The resolution, which has yet to be finalized or shared publicly, would urge Minnesota’s congressional delegation and President Joe Biden to advance a peace agenda. It also calls for an end to military aid to Israel and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, according to organizers.

This as the war nears its three-month mark, with Congress weighing a $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel.

Similar resolutions have passed in U.S. cities like Atlanta, Detroit, Oakland and Seattle. The Minneapolis City Council has previously passed resolutions opposing wars in Ukraine and Iran.

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Council Member Aisha Chughtai said she’s spoken to many Minneapolis residents who do not support the conflict.

“We want an end to our tax dollars being used to contribute to this humanitarian catastrophe and unspeakable loss of life,” said Chughtai, who co-authored the resolution with council members Robin Wonsley and Aurin Chowdhury.

More than a dozen community organizations joined the press conference at the Minneapolis Public Service Center in solidarity, including the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Jewish Voice for Peace and American Muslims for Palestine.

Several Jewish residents were among them.

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“It causes me a lot of pain to see this war, excuse me, to see this genocide carried out in the name of my people and my safety,” said Walter Fromm, a field manager with Take Action Minnesota.

The council members plan to introduce the final resolution on Monday.

Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman (second from right) with Temple Israel speaks at the Minneapolis Public Service Center on Friday against a city council resolution to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. From left to right: Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC); Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Iola Kostrzewski.

Feven Gerezgiher | MPR News

At a later press conference on Friday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described feeling blindsided by the proposed resolution, alleging he was only told about it the night prior. 

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“Rather than talking with me as a mayor or me as a Jew, it was left to be discussed in a press conference just a few hours ago,” Frey said.

“If it was a Muslim mayor or a Black mayor or any other ethnicity, and the issue that was being addressed impacted them, they should be involved. They should at the very least know about it. Sadly, that was not the case here,” he added later.

Frey and Jewish leaders from the Jewish Community Relations Council and Temple Israel denounced the proposed resolution for promoting one side of events.

Frey said he would back alternative resolutions calling to support all civilians — Palestinian and Israeli — or for a two-state solution.

“It is not mutually exclusive to be both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine. You can be supportive of the State of Israel and simultaneously disagree adamantly with the administration that is running the government,” Frey said.

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An organizer with CAIR-Minnesota said a majority of council members will likely vote in favor of the resolution.



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Minneapolis, MN

Man killed over Louie Vuitton bag, suspect was on bond for suspected carjacking, charges say

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Man killed over Louie Vuitton bag, suspect was on bond for suspected carjacking, charges say


Minneapolis police are investigating a homicide on Feb. 24, 2026.  (FOX 9)

A man is dead after a witness said he refused to give up a Louis Vuitton bag while being robbed by multiple men at gunpoint. 

Abdirahman Khayre Khayre, 20, is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery for the incident that happened on the evening of Feb. 24 in Minneapolis. 

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READ MORE: Man fatally shot in south Minneapolis apartment building

Fatal Minneapolis shooting after robbery 

The set-up:

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Minneapolis police responded around 10:42 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Abbott Apartments, located on the 100 block of East 18th Street in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Officers then found a dead man in the lobby who had been shot multiple times. 

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A witness to the shooting said he and the victim arrived at the apartments to “hang out” with Khayre, according to the criminal complaint. 

The witness said he became suspicious when Khayre he left the room multiple times and “appeared to be stalling.”

The robbery:

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The complaint states the witness reported three men then came into the room and yelled “Give me everything.” The men were armed with Glock handguns that had extended magazines as well as an AR-style rifle.

They then stole two guns from the witness, and one of them was handed to Khayre.

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When the men demanded a Louis Vuitton bag from the victim, he refused, leading to a fight between them all.

The shooting:

The witness said when he walked toward them, Khayre pointed the witness’ stolen gun at him and racked it. 

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The witness then got out of the room, ran toward the lobby and heard multiple gunshots. He then saw two of the men flee out the back of the building, but didn’t see what direction they went in.

The victim was then found dead. 

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The aftermath:

Khayre was then identified by the witness in a photo lineup, according to the criminal complaint. 

Police say video footage corroborated much of what the witness reported.

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Khayre was on conditional release for a suspected carjacking at the time of the shooting, according to the complaint. 

The Source: This story uses information gathered from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County and previous FOX 9 reporting. 

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Minnesota’s Iranian community: Mixed emotions on US-Israel strike

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Minnesota’s Iranian community: Mixed emotions on US-Israel strike


The local Iranian community in Minnesota is expressing mixed emotions following the recent joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran.

Local reactions to the strike

What we know:

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The strike resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to President Donald Trump and Iranian state media. Many Iranians in Minnesota feel this could lead to freedom for their country.

Nazanin Naferipoor shared that her sister in Iran was initially happy about the strike, believing it might bring about freedom. However, communication has been cut off since the strike began, leaving many worried about their loved ones.

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The other side:

Hamid Kashani from the Minnesota Committee in Support of a Democratic Iran expressed mixed feelings about the strike. While he hopes for change, he is concerned about the potential loss of innocent lives.

Fazy Kowsari emphasized that the attack targeted the government, not the religion, and criticized the political motivations behind the strike.

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Upcoming rally at Nicollet Mall

Why you should care:

A rally is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street. Organizers view the U.S. strike as a rescue operation for Iranians held hostage by the regime, rather than an act of war.

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Ex-MN Twins Pitcher Sentenced For Shooting His In-Laws

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Ex-MN Twins Pitcher Sentenced For Shooting His In-Laws


AUBURN, CA — Former Major League Baseball pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering his father-in-law and attempting to murder his mother-in-law in a 2021 ambush-style shooting at a Lake Tahoe-area home.

A Placer County jury previously found Serafini, 51, guilty of fatally shooting 70-year-old Gary Spohr and seriously wounding Spohr’s wife, 68-year-old Wendy Wood, on June 5, 2021, at their home on the lake’s west shore. Wood survived the attack but died a year later.

In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said that Spohr and Wood were loving grandparents and detailed how Serafini’s crimes had affected the couple’s family members and friends.

“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.

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On the day of the shooting, Serafini’s wife, the victims’ daughter, had taken the children to the lake to visit their grandparents.

Prosecutors said the deadly ambush stemmed from a dispute over a $1.3 million investment in a ranch renovation project. The victims had reportedly contributed the money.

In one text message shown in court, Serafini wrote, “I’m gonna kill them one day,” referencing a dispute over $21,000, prosecutors said.

He also sent other threatening messages, including “I will be coming after you” and “Take me to court,” according to ABC10.

Jurors also found Serafini guilty of several “special circumstance” sentencing enhancements, including lying in wait, use of a firearm, and that the attack was willful, deliberate and premeditated. He was also convicted of first-degree burglary.

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Prosecutors had also charged Serafini with child endangerment, saying he put his infant and toddler sons at risk by having a gun in the home. Jurors found him not guilty on that count.

The case also involved a second defendant, 33-year-old Samantha Scott, who pleaded guilty to being an accessory in February, according to the New York Post.

A left-hander, Serafini was a 1992 first-round pick for the Minnesota Twins. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, pitching for six MLB teams over seven seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.





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