MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man was arrested after allegedly threatening to “shoot up” a Minneapolis synagogue, officials announced on Saturday.

Staff at Temple Israel reported to the Minneapolis Police Department on Sept. 11 that they had received several phone calls from a person threatening to “shoot up” the synagogue.

Then on Thursday, a special police detail assigned provide extra patrols around Temple Israel ahead of the Jewish new year and the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel were notified of a man outside with a firearm. He fled the area, but officers arrested a 21-year-old man the next day.

“Everyone in Minneapolis has the right to feel safe in their communities, and we will ensure our Jewish neighbors are protected as they celebrate the holy days,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian Chief O’Hara said at a news conference. “We take all threats made against our religious institutions seriously, and will continue to hold the individuals accountable who threaten any of our city’s houses of worship.”

O’Hara said officers learned the man had used a phone app to mask his voice as he made repeated threats against the synagogue.

Officers did not recover a gun.

The man was arrested for making “terroristic threats” and charges will be referred to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. O’Hara said officers had not found evidence the threat was motivated by antisemitism, but he said the timing of the threats was concerning.

“Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, the worst terrorist attack on our Jewish community since the Holocaust, our police officers have been present where a whole lot of hateful rhetoric has been said against our residents, against members of our community, simply because they are Jewish,” O’Hara said.

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Was it the prettiest win? Not by any stretch of the imagination.

It was probably among the ugliest wins the Vikings will have this season.

That said, the Vikings traveled across the pond and secured a 23-17 win over the New York Jets on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. In doing so, the Vikings will enter their bye week with a perfect 5-0 record, sitting comfortably atop the NFC North division.

That’s not insignificant.

As for the game itself, the Vikings left a lot to be desired against the Jets, jumping out to a 17-point lead before having to once again hang on for dear life in the final minutes.

Here are five takeaways from the Vikings’ victory:

1. The defense once again stepped up

As good as the group led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been, this might have been its best work yet. In a matchup against future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, not only did the defense hold its own, it actually carried the Vikings to victory. Whether it was the early interception return for a touchdown by edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, or the late interception by veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the Vikings got everything they needed from that side of the ball and then some. It was an incredible performance from the defense that was necessary with how much the offense struggled throughout the game.

2. Andrew Van Ginkel for DPOY

Are we sure Van Ginkel isn’t the best player on the defense? He had an interception for a touchdown for the second time this season to give the Vikings a major boost in the early stages. On the play, Van Ginkel dropped into coverage, read the eyes of Rodgers, and hauled in the interception in the middle of the field. As soon as Van Ginkel gained possession, he raced the other way like a runaway train, trotting into the end zone for what went down as a 63-yard touchdown. As crazy as it might sound, if Van Ginkel can keep it up, he’s going to be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year when everything is said and done.

3. The importance of Aaron Jones was palpable

As sloppy as the Vikings offense looked for prolonged stretches even with running back Aaron Jones in the game, it was noticeably more sloppy when he left the game. He was ruled out with a hip injury after testing it out of the sideline, and fellow running back Ty Chandler became the primary ball carrier  There wasn’t much running room for Chandler, who finished with 14 carries for 30 yards. Everything became so much more difficult for the offense from there as Darnold was unable to get anything going. Some of that falls on the shoulders of  head coach Kevin O’Connell. There wasn’t much rhythm to his play-calling, and while he gets a little bit of grace because Jones is such a big part of the offense, O’Connell needs to be better moving forward regardless of who’s in the backfield.

4. Harrison Smith reached a milestone

After going unblocked off the edge and sacking Rodgers in the backfield, safety Harrison Smith joined rare company with 30-plus interceptions and 20-plus sacks in his NFL career. The only other players in NFL history with those numbers are hall of famer defenders Ronde Barber, Leroy Butler, Brian Dawkins, Rodney Harrison, Larry Wilson and Charles Woodson. Let’s just say Smith continues to put together a good case for himself as he hunts down a gold jacket.

5. More struggles on specials teams

In complete control with a couple of minutes to go before halftime, the Vikings gave the Jets some much-needed life with some sloppy play on special teams. It started with a senseless illegal block in the back by safety Jay Ward after punt returner Brandon Powell had already turned the corner. That put the Vikings into the shadow of their own goal post, where the offense failed to record a first down. To make matters worse, the Vikings went on to allow a long punt return, which set the Jets up for a touchdown to cut into the deficit. It got worse after halftime as cornerback Akayleb Evans got called for kick catch interference and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. got called for roughing the kicker.

After a slugfest of a game across the pond, the Vikings walked onto the field at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London knowing it needed to keep future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of the end zone. They had seen this movie many times before with Rodgers often getting the best of them.

Not this time. Not on Sunday.

In the biggest moment of the game, Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore stuck in coverage, worked back to the ball and intercepted Rodgers as the Vikings put the finishing touches on an ugly 23-17 win over the New York Jets.

There is certainly a lot to clean up after the most tense win this season. That said, the Vikings head into their bye week with a perfect 5-0 record. They won’t complain about that.

It was fitting that the defense stepped up when the Vikings needed it most. The group led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores has proven it’s good enough to carry the Vikings as far as they want to go, and that’s exactly what it did against the Jets.

On the other side of the ball, the offense struggled mightily for the Vikings, with veteran quarterback Sam Darnold looking completely out of sorts for prolonged stretches. He completed 14 of 31 passes for 179 yards and did not throw a touchdown for the first game this season.

Though the Vikings will take the win, the fact that it was so close likely irked head coach Kevin O’Connell, especially given the way the game stared.

After a 54-yard field goal from rookie kicker Will Reichard put the Vikings in front 3-0 in the early stages, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel made another big splash as he continues to establish himself as arguably the best player on the defense. With the Vikings in need of a spark, Van Ginkel dropped into coverage, intercepted a pass from Rodgers and raced the other way for a touchdown that stretched the lead to 10-0.

After more dominance by the defense, highlighted by an interception from safety Cam Bynum followed by a forced turnover on downs, the Vikings made it 17-0 as fullback C.J. Ham plunged into the end zone for a touchdown.

Though it looked like the Vikings might be on their way to a blowout victory, everything changed when running back Aaron Jones left the game. He suffered a hip injury, and while he tried to test it out of the sideline, he was ruled out after not being able to sprint at full speed.

The importance of Jones was on display as the offense grinded to a halt with him on the sideline. Nothing was the same for Darnold from there as he struggled to get into a rhythm with O’Connell proving ineffective with the plays being delivered into his helmet.

The door cracked open for the Jets shortly before halftime as the Vikings gifted them good field position. Not long after that, Rodgers bought some time in the pocket, then found receiver Allen Lazard for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-7.

Neither team was able to string together much offense after halftime with kicker Greg Zuerlein nailing a 32-yard field goal for the Jets to make it 17-10 before Reichard made a 53-yard field goal for the Vikings to push the lead back to 10 points at 20-10.

After flirting with disaster for most of the game, Darnold’s erratic play finally came back to bite him in the second half as he threw a costly interception near midfield late in the game. That gave the ball back to Rodgers and he marched the Jets down the field before finding receiver Garrett Wilson for a touchdown to get the Jets within three at 20-17.

Finally, the Vikings got a drive from Darnold when they needed it most, and it concluded with Reichard nailing a 41-yard field goal to make it 23-17. That set the stage for Rodgers, and while he had the Jets driving, he threw an interception to Gilmore that sealed the deal for the Vikings.

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OF NOTE

Robert W. Mairs

Mairs & Power, a St. Paul-based employee-owned investment advisory firm, announced that Robert (Rob) W. Mairs has been named chief executive officer. He succeeds Mark L. Henneman, who will remain chairman and will retire from the firm at the end of 2026. Mairs is a grandson of company founder George Mairs Jr., and a nephew of George Mairs III, the firm’s leader from the early 1980s until late 2000s. Prior to joining Mairs & Power in 2015, he practiced law for 16 years with Gray Plant Mooty in Minneapolis.

ENTERTAINMENT

Children’s Theatre Company, a Minneapolis-based live performance venue focused on young audiences, announced that Alli St. John has been appointed casting director. St John is a stage director, intimacy director and educator based in the Twin Cities and has worked with organizations such as Children’s Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Theatre Latte Da and others as well as coordinating educational drama programs in schools.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Piper Sandler Cos., a Minneapolis-based investment bank, announced the additions of Joe Kinder and Brent Blevins as managing directors to its public finance team. Both join Piper Sandler from Stifel Financial, Blevins assisting school districts with developing financial plans; he previously was a superintendent for the Forsyth R-III School District in Forsyth, Mo. … Huntington National Bank announced Mike Maeser has been named regional president for Minnesota. Maeser previously was area leader for Huntington Private Bank in the Twin Cities region since 2021.

HEALTH CARE

HealthEZ, a Bloomington-based third-party health benefits administrator for business, announced the following additions: Laurie Gardener, senior vice president of Sales Management and Operations; Sheila Autry, senior account manager, and Dennis McCormack, vice president of sales.

LAW

The Hennepin County Bar Association has recognized the following members with HCBA Excellence Awards: Thomas Boyd, Winthrop & Weinstine, Access to Justice/Pro Bono Service; Debra Bulluck, Moss & Barnett, Outstanding New Lawyer; Yemaya Hanna, Maslon, Advancing Diversity and Inclusion; Christopher Jison, Wells Fargo; Mentoring in the Profession; Jennifer Johnson, Stoel Rives, Mentoring in the Profession; Kathleen Murphy, Service to the Association/Foundation (posthumously), and Natasha Robinson, Fredrikson & Byron, Mentoring in the Profession.

MANUFACTURING

SkyWater Technology, a Bloomington-based semiconductor foundry, announced the appointment of Bassel Haddad as senior vice president and general manager of advanced packaging. Haddad previously was at Intel since 2011, most recently as vice president and general manager of edge device & AI products.

MEDIA

American Public Media Group, a St. Paul-based national radio production company that includes Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media, announced Daniel Doktori as its next senior vice president and general counsel, effective Oct. 7. Doktori joins most recently from British publishing and learning company Pearson, which acquired Credly Inc., where he served as general counsel and chief of staff; at Pearson, Doktori managed legal for several software and associated services businesses.

NONPROFITS

Mendota Heights-based Angel Foundation, which helps cancer patients and their families meet financial needs, announced the addition of Heather Lake as program coordinator, becoming the organization’s first staff member based in Duluth and focused on the Northern Minnesota market. Lake previously served as a hospice bereavement coordinator at Essentia Health Hospice and St. Croix Hospice.

SPORTS

Minnesota Wild NHL franchise announced that Fanatics, the team’s e-commerce retailer for licensed fan merchandise, has signed a long-term partnership as the team’s retail partner, and will additionally assume operations of all physical retail locations at Xcel Energy Center and run HockeyLodge.com.

TECHNOLOGY

OneMedNet, an Eden Prairie-based provider of imaging Real World Data (iRWD) to the medial science industry, announced the hire of Bob Golden as chief financial officer. Golden previously was managing partner of accounting firm Cohen, Bender & Golden since 2015. He succeeds Lisa Embree. … M-RETS, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that operates a software platform for tracking renewable energy sourcing and compliance, announced the appointment of Rob Davis as chief growth officer. Davis previously led public affairs, media relations and federal grant programs for Connexus Energy.

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