St. Louis Park Jewish Center Receives Bomb Threat Wednesday

A Jewish community center in St. Louis Park reportedly received a bomb threat Wednesday morning. St. Louis Park's Sabes Jewish Community Center (JCC), as well as the Barry Family Campus in Minneapolis, were safely evacuated this morning after a bomb threat was received over the phone.

The Twin Cities Jewish community was one of several Jewish communities across the country Wednesday to be targeted.

At 10:03 a.m. on Jan. 18, the St. Louis Park Police Department responded to a reported bomb threat at JCC. The building was evacuated and children were reunited with their parents. The police department contacted federal authorities and was informed that similar threats occurred around the country Wednesday.

St. Louis Park Police and Fire departments left the scene of the Jewish Community Center around 1 p.m. Three teams of bomb-sniffing dogs from Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport inspected the building and found nothing of concern.

Police confirmed that the phoned-in bomb threat was one of many made around the country Wednesday targeting Jewish institutions.

Steve Hunegs, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), said Jewish community centers in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts and Maine received similar bomb threats Wednesday.

Hunegs said the leadership at the Sabes JCC and Barry Family Campus "showed tremendous poise in responding to this incident."

The community is working in close cooperation with law enforcement and appreciates their quick response to this incident, Hunegs added, and asked that residents respect law enforcement as they continue to investigate this incident.

St. Louis Park Police will continue to investigate in coordination with federal authorities.

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