Salt Lake City Police Department announced Thursday it was increasing patrols at local Jewish and Muslim community centers to ensure residents’ safety after Hamas’s attacks on Israel last weekend and Israel’s subsequent declaration of war.
The heightened police activity is precautionary and “not in response to any known threat,” according to a news release.
In addition to patrols, the department’s Intelligence Center is working with state, regional and national law enforcement to monitor for potential threats, the department announced.
“The Salt Lake City Police Department wants community members to feel safe and to go about their daily lives,” the release stated.
The department also urged community members to “maintain a heightened awareness of their surroundings,” and report any unusual or threatening happenings to police by calling 911. People can also submit tips anonymously at cityprotect.com/forms/slcgov.com/anonymous.
The police department’s announcement came as the Israel-Hamas war continued to escalate, with an estimated 2,700 deaths on both sides as of Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
Israeli airstrikes “pulverized the Gaza Strip” Thursday, the AP reported. The news agency said Israeli forces plan to continue the “complete siege” of Gaza until Hamas militants, which rule over the 2.3 million Palestinians living in the 25 mile-long Gaza Strip, release the 150 hostages taken during the militant group’s initial surprise attacks.
A 24-year-old Utah man attending a rave was killed in one of those early attacks, his rabbi in Salt Lake City confirmed Tuesday.
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