The St. Paul Jewish Community Center in Highland Park has reopened after being evacuated Monday morning after a bomb threat, police said.
By 12:21 p.m., a St. Paul police spokesman said on Twitter that police did not find any bombs or “dangerous devices” at the center and people were allowed to return.
Earlier in the day, students in the building at 1375 St. Paul Ave. were moved to a nearby fire station while the building was cleared, police said.
In a statement Monday, Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), said the threat was received by phone and that “leadership at the St. Paul JCC showed tremendous poise in responding to this incident.”
The facility hosts events and classes, and includes a fitness center, early childhood center, and more. Monday’s incident comes one month after a phoned-in bomb threat closed the Sabes Jewish Community Center in St. Louis Park. That threat was one of many made in at least 17 states that day targeting Jewish institutions.
Jeff Van Nest, a spokesman for the FBI’s field office in Minneapolis, said Monday that the agency is aware of the threat and coordinating with local law enforcement much like it did after in January’s bomb scare at the Sabes Jewish Community Center in St. Louis Park. Van Nest declined to comment further on the Sabes investigation, noting it was an ongoing matter but did say agents would continue working to identify the source of the threat.
“All of the resources of the FBI are available in a case like this,” Van Nest said. “Any time there’s a bomb threat, even if it’s a hoax, is a violation of federal law.”
In a joint statement, Mayor Chris Coleman and Councilmember Chris Tolbert, whose represents the ward where the JCC is located, called the incident “something we all fear,” but added that it demonstrated the strength of the community and lauded the police and firefighters who quickly responded.
“Our hearts are with the families of the 190 children and their caregivers — people of every faith — who had to be evacuated. While no one was physically hurt, we know that it will take time for you and your children to feel safe.” the statement said.
“To be clear — these actions have no place in St. Paul, and they have no place in our country. Our nation is feeling the weight of division, but now more than ever we must support each other, for the only way we move forward is together. We will stand in solidarity with the Jewish community against any who try to sow the seeds of hate in our midst.”
Staff writer Stephen Montemayor contributed to this report.
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