SAN ANTONIO — FBI officials say they're investigating a potential threat against "an unidentified synagogue in Texas," and formal Jewish gatherings were canceled in San Antonio on Saturday.
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio said that after the FBI warned them about a threat to an unconfirmed Jewish community facility in the San Antonio area, they spoke with all local synagogues and organizations and recommended suspending all formal Jewish gatherings.
Jewish leaders provided an update later on Saturday afternoon urging vigilance, but saying that the latest update from the FBI is that there is no "known imminent threat to the local Jewish community at this time."
"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," they said.
The FBI said that they're working on determining the credibility of the threat, and asked anyone with information to submit a tip.
"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."
This comes just days after San Antonio City Councilmember John Courage denounced anti-Semitic messages found around District 9 neighborhoods.
"These agitators are hiding behind the first amendment to bring fear to our Jewish community and transgender individuals. Bigotry and hate-filled messages should gain no traction here. We should refuse to give this fanatical messaging more exposure than it deserves. We are working with local law enforcement and neighborhoods to identify and expose those responsible," he said in a statement earlier in the week.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt released the following statement:
"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."