Interstate 94 closed for about an hour at the Lowry Hill tunnel in Minneapolis, after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked traffic across eastbound lanes of the busy thoroughfare during Monday's evening commute.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation asked drivers to take alternate routes for a "police incident" about 5:20 p.m. "Expect long delays," MnDOT said.
Video of the protest obtained by the Star Tribune shows at least 18 vehicles with Palestinian flags sticking out windows as they blocked all lanes of eastbound traffic and slowly entered the tunnel while honking horns.
State Patrol cars then zoom up on the right shoulder to stop the convoy as it enters the tunnel, the video shows.
Troopers arrested eight people and issued two citations "in and around" the tunnel during the incident, State Patrol Lt. Jill Frankfurth posted on X.
Arrests included five for alleged impeding traffic, one on suspicion of fleeing police in a vehicle and one for possession of a firearm without a permit. One teenager was taken to juvenile detention for alleged fleeing in a vehicle.
The citations were also for alleged impeding traffic.
Flat-bed and tow trucks were used to remove eight vehicles and three trailers from the scene after they were stopped by police inside the tunnel. Traffic had returned to normal after about an hour.
About a dozen people also stood on the pedestrian bridge spanning Hennepin and Lyndale avenues and waved Palestinian flags, while others stood on Hennepin Avenue doing the same.
Israel faces international outrage after its military offensive has killed more than 17,700 Palestinians in Gaza, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory, the Associated Press reported. The offensive began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed an estimated 1,200 people and resulted in hundreds being taken hostage.
