Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis police arrest man for ‘terroristic threats’ made to synagogue on Rosh Hashanah
(JTA) — The Minneapolis Police Department on Friday arrested a 21-year-old man for making “terroristic threats” against a local synagogue on Rosh Hashanah, three weeks after the man allegedly threatened to “shoot up” the synagogue.
Jaden LeBlanc’s arrest occurred a day after a member of Temple Israel’s security team reported spotting a man with a gun outside the Reform synagogue during holiday services.
Investigators concluded that the man, who fled the scene without firing a shot, was the same person who had been behind threatening phone calls made to Temple Israel on Sept. 11, which MPD Chief Brian O’Hara said had been carried out “using an app to spoof phone calls.” O’Hara said MPD did not locate a weapon and did not know why LeBlanc targeted the synagogue.
“We do not have evidence to suggest that this incident was antisemitic in nature or motivated by hate or bias,” O’Hara said during a press conference on Saturday. “However, it is especially concerning the time that this occurred.”
Reached for additional comment, the MPD pointed to its statement and press conference.
High alert for US Jews
The incident comes at a moment of high alert for Jews in the United States, with tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza adding to longstanding concerns about security threats facing Jewish institutions. Like many synagogues, Temple Israel — where Minneapolis’ Jewish mayor, Jacob Frey, prayed on Rosh Hashanah — employs private security guards in addition to coordinating with local police.
The MPD convened Minneapolis synagogues, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas and other local Jewish leaders and students in September to develop a security plan for the High Holidays and the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7, and discussed measures to “enhance patrols around synagogues and community centers,” according to an MPD statement. A security officer working the special detail on Oct. 3, the first day of Rosh Hashanah, alerted police upon seeing the man, who the MPD says was LeBlanc.
LeBlanc fled the scene, police say, but was found and arrested the following day. He was booked into Hennepin County Jail. O’Hara said a weapon was not recovered during the police search.
Frey spoke alongside O’Hara and Temple Israel’s senior rabbi, Marcia Zimmerman, at the Saturday press conference.
“When you go to worship as a Jew, when you go to worship as any background, ethnicity, or religion, you want to do so with peace,” Frey said.
“For a Jew, during the High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, the whole concept is to reflect [on] yourself over the last year — to determine how you can be your best version of self, where you can apologize to those who you have hurt, and to where you can be better yourself and better in your community to make the world a better place,” he added. “And doing that gets a whole lot harder if you’re worried about your safety and the safety of your loved ones.”
Zimmerman stressed the importance of sharing accurate information, which she said led her to take the unusual step of speaking at a press conference on Shabbat.
“Every religious community should be able to worship without fear, especially on the holiest days of their year,” she said. “A threat to any religious community is a threat to all of us.”
O’Hara said his department had been tracking other threats around the country — including “hoaxes,” a reference to the hundreds of false bomb threats and swatting incidents against Jewish institutions in the past year — but that MPD was not aware of any specific threats at this time.
In an email to congregants, Zimmerman and Temple Israel President Anne Stanfield acknowledged how “distressing” news of the threat to the synagogue would feel, especially with additional Jewish holidays approaching.
“We continue to be grateful for your ongoing commitment to our robust seen and unseen security measures,” they wrote, according to TC Jewfolk, a local Jewish publication. “In addition to our strong security protocols, we continue to believe that the best antidote to antisemitism is coming together through prayer, song, community, and pride in our Jewish identity.”
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis City Council member Aisha Chughtai taking mental health leave for a month
Minneapolis City Council member Aisha Chughtai said Monday she will be taking a monthlong leave to seek outpatient care for her mental health.
Chughtai said her “office will remain open to continue serving the people of Ward 10,” but she will miss the council meeting on July 16. She plans to return before the July 30 meeting.
“I love representing the people of this Ward. It’s the greatest honor of my life. And that’s why I feel obligated to do so to the best of my abilities,” Chughtai said in a statement. “Because of the current state of my mental health, I fear falling short of that obligation. That’s why I’m briefly stepping back. I fully expect to return energized and ready to give more than ever for the people of Ward 10 and everyone in the city.”
In her statement, Chughtai cited “a high-stakes election … several mass shootings, and a federal occupation” as recent stressors on her mental health.
Chughtai said she has notified the council and Mayor Jacob Frey, and encouraged Ward 10 residents to contact her office via email with any questions or concerns.
“I know that when I return, I’ll be back stronger, ready to form deeper partnerships, and ready to fight even harder for our neighbors,” she said.
Chughtai was first elected in 2021 to represent Ward 10, which includes the south Minneapolis neighborhoods of East Bde Maka Ska, East Isles, Lowry Hill East, South Uptown and Whittier.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
Extreme Heat Warning
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One person is dead and eight others are hurt in a string of weekend shootings across Minneapolis.
Police say the first shooting occurred Friday around 5 p.m. near North Humboldt and 26th avenues. A man was outside of his home when shots rang out, leaving him with multiple gunshot wounds.
Around 9:35 p.m. Friday, two men were shot outside in the area of north Lowry and Logan avenues.
Just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday, a man was found shot in an alley near Mortimer’s Bar and Restaurant off South Lyndale and Franklin avenues. He told police he was outside walking when he was hit.
Just before 12:50 a.m. Saturday, police say a man outside was shot near North Penn Avenue, just north of Highway 55, by someone driving by.
Around 1:50 a.m. Saturday, a man suffering from gunshot wounds showed up at Hennepin Healthcare, with police later determining he was shot in the area of North Lyndale and 45th avenues.
Just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday, a man showed up to Children’s Minneapolis hospital with a gunshot wound he said occurred when he was asleep inside his vehicle.
On Sunday around 1 a.m., a man was found laying on the ground near Bloomington Avenue and East 24th Street. He was brought to Hennepin Healthcare where he later died. Police say investigators “located evidence of gunfire, including a firearm recovered next to the man who died.”
On Sunday just before 1:30 a.m., a 15-year-old girl was shot in the area of Hennepin and Laurel avenues in downtown. Two boys, ages 14 and 15, were soon arrested in connection to the shooting.
And just before 1:50 a.m. Sunday, a man was found shot inside a business off Northeast Lowry Avenue and Fourth Street Northeast. Investigators believe the shooting began as an altercation in the business’s parking lot.
With the exception of the shooting of the 15-year-old girl, police say no arrests have been made in any of the cases. All surviving victims have injuries described by police as non-life threatening.
Anyone with information on any of these shootings can submit an anonymous tip online to Crime Stoppers, or call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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