Two Las Cruces, NM, churches had bombs go off within 30 minutes of each other around 8 - 8:30 am this morning. Thankfully there were no injuries and not much property damage, although it sure sounds to me like it could have been serious if someone had been standing near when the explosives detonated.
Details from the Las Cruces Police Department facebook page:
Investigation into Church Incidents Continues
Federal, state and local partners are investigating the detonation of explosive devices outside two Las Cruces churches on Sunday morning.
No injuries were reported and only minor damage was done at Calvary Baptist Church and Holy Cross Catholic Church. Calvary Baptist Church at 1800 Locust St. and Holy Cross is at 1327 N. Miranda St. The two churches are separated by slightly more than three miles.
At around 8:20 a.m., Las Cruces Police were dispatched to Calvary Baptist Church, at 1800 Locust St., where it was learned a mailbox had been damaged by an explosive device. The mailbox was located on a wall near the administrative entrance to the church. Several worshippers were gathering inside the church as services were set to begin at 8:30 a.m.
At around 8:40 a.m., police were dispatched to Holy Cross Catholic Church, at 1327 N. Miranda St., where an explosive device detonated inside a trash receptacle near the front entrance of the parish. Church services there began at 8 a.m. and were underway at the time of the explosion in the trash receptacle. Parishioners were evacuated through another exit.
The explosive device at Holy Cross caused damage to the trash container and to the glass entryway.
Both churches are closed to the public until completion of the investigation. Law enforcement is following several leads. No arrests have been made and no one is in custody at this time.
The multi-agency investigation is being conducted by the Las Cruces Police Department; Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office; New Mexico State Police; New Mexico State University Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Department of Homeland Security.
Law enforcement recommends churchgoers and others within the community maintain vigilance, and immediately report any suspicious circumstances. Anyone who notices suspicious packages or persons is asked to call (575) 526-0795 or 911 if it’s an emergency. The FBI has a toll-free telephone number for anyone who has tips related to these incidents. That FBI Hotline is 1-800-CALL-FBI.
source:
https://www.facebook.com/...
Here's an updated story from the Las Cruces Sun-News: http://www.lcsun-news.com/...
Also in Albuquerque, another Calvary church found a suspicious package which was investigated by the APD bomb squad. Fortunately that was cleared as no threat> http://www.koat.com/...
I can't even begin to fathom who or why anyone would do this. I'm posting it here to have it documented in case more info comes forward. But most of all, I hate like hell that this is happening in my state!