No longer a "known imminent threat" to San Antonio Jewish community, says FBI
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A security alert was issued Saturday for the Jewish community in San Antonio, but the FBI now says there is no longer a "known imminent threat," according to the Jewish Federation of San Antonio.
According to KSAT, the Jewish Federation of San Antonio posted the alert on social media at 11 a.m. stating that it had received information from the FBI "identifying a potential threat to an unconfirmed Jewish community facility in the San Antonio area."
The post has since been taken down and replaced with a new one citing an official update from the FBI that "there is no ‘known imminent threat’ in effect any longer for the San Antonio area Jewish community."
"Although we recommend staying vigilant and aware of your surroundings at all times, we are pleased to share that the urgency of concern has been lowered," says Jewish Federation board chair Lauren Stanley and president Nehemia Ichilov in a shared statement.
A San Antonio-area synagogue, Temple Beth-El, canceled both in-person and online Shabbat services in response to the initial threat in a statement released on Facebook.
The FBI's National Press Office released a statement concerning the threat, saying:
"The FBI is investigating a potential threat targeting an unidentified synagogue in Texas. We are working to determine the credibility of the threat and sharing information with our law enforcement partners and our partners in the Jewish community. We would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious or have information about potential threats to report it to law enforcement immediately, call their local FBI field office, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov."
ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt also issued the following statement regarding the threat:
"ADL, working closely with the San Antonio Jewish Federation, which is responsible for its community's security, continues to monitor a threat to Jewish communities in Texas.
"ADL has been in close contact with federal, state, and local law enforcement in Texas for more than 72 hours around a series of threats targeting a Texas synagogue. In the past 24 hours, we received notice of a more specific and credible threat. We will continue to closely monitor and share relevant updates with all our Jewish communal partners.
"In this heightened threat environment and in the wake of the horrific act of domestic terror in Highland Park, IL we urge all communities to maintain a heightened sense of awareness and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. We are grateful to the FBI, state and local law enforcement for their proactive work investigating these potential threats."
This threat comes less than seven months after a British national held four hostages for more than 10 hours at Congregation Beth Israel, a synagogue in North Texas and less than four months after a San Marcos man set fire to the sanctuary at Congregation Beth Israel, a synagogue in Austin.