Potential Jihadist Threats Impacting Some Local Brides
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A handful of brides in the Twin Cities are scrambling to find a new reception hall after the Fort Snelling Officer's Club shut down due to heightened security.
"Due to increased force protections, the Officer's Club will remain closed until further notice," the club's voice message said.
Military bases stepped up security last Friday due to potential threats from home-grown violent extremists.
FBI Director James Comey told reporters last week there is general concern that ISIS is "focusing on uniformed military and law enforcement," and that there are thousands of ISIS followers online and in the United States.
The curator for the Fort Snelling Officer's Club is the 934th Airlift Wing. The club's event manager is now calling brides -- like Andrea Gronlund -- and telling them their reception is off.
"I talked to the event coordinator … and she told me there's a bride this weekend that she had to notify that they're closing down," Gronlund said.
She got engaged in February and booked the Officer's Club for an October reception. She was told she would get a refund and was given other possible locations as an alternative.
"Now that we have less than five months to try and find a new site I'm kind of freaking out," Gronlund said.
Lawmakers have been seeking funding recently to keep the club open. A Minneapolis Star Tribune article says maintenance costs are threatening the club's permanent closure.