Federal and local authorities are investigating the vandalism and Saturday night explosion in a Los Angeles County church, which has recently been the subject of controversy over its language against the LGBTQ community and other minority groups.
According NBC affiliate station in Los Angeles, KNBC, the El Monte Police Department and FBI officials responded overnight to reports of an IED attack on First Works Baptist Church.
Chief of Police David Reynoso said later on Saturday that it was believed that an “improvised explosive device” was the source of the explosion, and that authorities also found obscenities and the words “skirt” spray-painted in front of the church, according to The New York Times.
Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI field office in Los Angeles, said the authorities have not yet arrested anyone in connection with the explosion and that the authorities have not yet determined the reason.
“We don’t rule anything out,” she added, the Times reported.
KNBC added that there were no injuries reported in the blast.
The FBI field office put a call on Twitter for public assistance in identifying those responsible for the attack, adding a contact number for people to send tips with relevant information.
The FBI responded overnight with @elmontepolice AND @LASDHQ for one #IED attack on the First Works Baptist Church in El Monte, CA. Bomb Techs and the FBI evidence team continue to process the scene. If you have a tip about the person responsible, call 3104776565. #SeekingInfo pic.twitter.com/LobrjbrZtx
– FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) January 23, 2021
According to the Times, Bruce Mejia, pastor of First Works, reported to the police about two weeks ago that he had received an arson threat on social media.
The church has been the target of criticism in the community, and A petition calling on the mayor of El Monte to recognize the church as a hate group and “get them out of our city”, he received more than 15,000 signatures.
First Works is part of the New Independent Fundamental Baptist Movement, an international network of churches that Southern Poverty Law Center annotated contains individuals who have requested the execution of LGBTQ people.
In 2019, Meija was among a list of speakers at the “Make America Straight Again” conference in Orlando, Florida, two days after the third anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre.
According to the Times, Meijia also claimed that the Black Lives Matter movement has a “perverse agenda” and has characterized women as inherently “weak”.
Local LGBTQ rights organization Keep El Monte Friendly initially had a protest planned at the church on Saturday morning, but later canceled the event in response to the bombing.
“We are in deep shock and we hope that no one was hurt during this tragedy,” the group wrote in a statement on Instagram. “Our movement aimed to bring light and awareness to the hateful rhetoric taught by this group. We understand that what they preach can upset people. However, we would never promote, encourage or tolerate any violence or acts of evil. ”
Reynoso added on Saturday, “in no way can we say that someone related to the demonstrations is involved or responsible for this crime”.