San Antonio synagogues suspend ALL Jewish services on holy day of week after FBI says ‘potential threat’ to target one – suspect arrested
- A suspect was arrested in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas.
- The threat led to the cancellation of Saturday services at Temple Beth El
- The Anti-Defamation League revealed how the suspect was arrested around 7 p.m
- The threat first became apparent to the FBI three days ago, after which they contacted local synagogues and advised them to cancel services
The suspect was arrested hours after Jewish community leaders in San Antonio, Texas, put synagogues and other facilities on high alert Saturday after being alerted by the FBI to a potential threat.
All official religious gatherings in the city, including the Beth El San Antonio temple, were canceled on Saturday, the holiest day of the week, due to security concerns.
“After communicating with all local synagogues and organizations, it has been recommended that all official Jewish gatherings be suspended until further notice. All security personnel at local synagogues and agencies have been notified and are on high alert,” the synagogue said.
“We have received information from our experts that the security situation at Jewish synagogues in San Antonio today is not optimal for our regular Saturday services,” Temple Beth El said in a statement online.
All official religious gatherings in the city, including the Beth El San Antonio temple, were canceled on the holiest day of the week due to security concerns
The threat led to the cancellation of Sabbath services in all Jewish community institutions
The Anti-Defamation League revealed how the suspect was arrested around 7 p.m
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio said Saturday night that the FBI said there was no longer a “known immediate threat” to the local Jewish community, revealing that an arrest had been made in connection with the scare.
“Although we recommend to remain vigilant and monitor the environment at all times, we are happy to announce that the urgency of the alarm has decreased,” the Federation said in a Facebook post.
“The Jewish Federation of San Antonio has received information from the FBI regarding a potential threat to an unconfirmed Jewish community facility in the San Antonio area. Out of an abundance of caution, we are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the public,” it said in a statement earlier in the day.
The FBI in San Antonio has released few details, except to say it is investigating “a potential threat directed at an unidentified synagogue in Texas.”
The information was passed on to the Anti-Defamation League, which also released similar information showing how the warnings were done over the past three days.
“ADL has been in close contact with federal, state and local law enforcement in Texas for over 72 hours regarding a series of threats directed at a Texas synagogue. In the last 24 hours, we have received a report of a more specific and credible threat.
San Antonio’s FBI says it received details of a threat to the city’s Jewish community three days ago
“With the immediate threat resolved, ADL will continue to be in contact with law enforcement as it has been for the past several days, monitoring the situation.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said he urged all communities to be more aware, especially in light of the fatal shooting at a suburban Chicago Independence Day parade.
“We urge all communities to maintain heightened awareness and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement,” he wrote.
In January, a British man held four hostages for more than 10 hours in a synagogue in North Texas, Congregation Beth Israel.
One of the hostages was freed during the standoff, and the others were rescued when authorities entered the building and killed the hijacker.
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