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The FBI and local authorities are investigating a homemade bomb explosion at a church in El Monte that drew protests over its anti-LGBTQ teachings.
The attack took place Saturday morning at the First Works Baptist Church in the 2600 block of Tyler Avenue, authorities said. No injuries were reported but the building was damaged.
El Monte police arrived at the scene shortly after 1 a.m. and saw smoke coming out of the windows, Lt. Christopher Cano told reporters.
“It looks like the walls of the church have been vandalized as well as all the windows,” Cano said. “[They] first appeared to have been smashed, then we realized the windows weren’t shattered, that they had actually exploded from some type of explosion.
Church pastor Bruce Mejia filed a police report about two weeks ago after receiving a threat of arson on social media, El Monte Police Chief David Reynoso said . It is too early to know if the explosion was linked to the threat, Reynoso said.
“We are very grateful that no one was inside the church and that no one passed during the explosion who could have been injured,” he said.
The church has been the scene of protests in recent weeks because its teachings promote prejudice against the LGBTQ community. An online petition calling on the mayor of El Monte to remove the church from the city has garnered more than 14,900 signatures.
There is no indication that the protests were linked to the threat of arson or the subsequent attack, Reynoso said on Saturday.
“I don’t even want to talk about the protests because it would in no way be fair to tie the two together,” he said. “We cannot assume that anyone who participated in previous protests is related or involved in any way.”
The group that organized the protests, Keep El Monte Friendly, issued a statement expressing “deep shock” and said a protest scheduled for Sunday in front of the church would be canceled.
“We understand that what they preach can upset people,” the group wrote in a statement posted via social media. “However, we could never promote, encourage or condone acts of violence or harm.
“Our intention is to unite the community and keep El Monte a safe place for everyone, regardless of gender identity, race or sexual orientation.”
The city of El Monte worked with the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and the county’s Human Relations Commission to defuse tensions between the church and community members by trying to set up talks between the two parties, said Alma Martinez, El Monte. city manager.
“Even though we don’t currently know who is involved in the crime, as a city we want to make sure that we continue to work on de-escalating the situation to promote peace, security and respect in our community. community, ”Martinez wrote in an email. “Crimes of this nature are not acceptable.”
Although protest organizers have expressed willingness to meet with church leaders, the pastor declined, a source close to the investigation said.
Solis said she was aware of the anti-LGBTQ and misogynistic sermons given by the pastor, but that “violence is never the answer, even in response to hate speech.”
“I also support the right to demonstrate peacefully; however, this attack is wrong and dangerous, ”she said in a statement. “I urge city leaders, church leaders, and civic leaders to come together and work together to address the issues of hate in our community.”
First Works Baptist is part of a network of around 30 churches called the New Independent Fundamental Baptist Movement, which hate and extremism experts say is growing and spreading violent rhetoric against LGBTQ people. At a preaching conference near Sacramento in August 2019 that Mejia attended, several of the speakers called on the US government to start executing LGBTQ people. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists First Works Baptist as one of 88 hate groups in California.
In keeping with the teachings of the movement, Mejia cited Bible verses that he said justified killing LGBTQ people and preached that it is okay to kill a person if they are a thief or a pedophile. He also used the pulpit to denounce the arrest of Kyle Rittenhouse in the fatal shooting of two protesters during the unrest in Kenosha, Wis., Last year, to urge men to ban their wives from working at the outside the home and advocate against vaccines. and coronavirus precautions.
El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona called the church incident “very concerning” and said she called for a full and thorough investigation.
“At this very moment, we must stand up together to uplift each other in affirming the slogan of the town of El Monte, ‘Welcome to Friendly El Monte,’ Ancona said in a statement.
The FBI said its bomb technicians, along with experts from the LA County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad, were continuing to deal with the scene and a joint investigation was underway for the person or group responsible for the incident. the attack. Anyone with information has been urged to contact the local FBI office in Los Angeles at (310) 477-6565.
Times editor-in-chief Hailey Branson-Potts contributed to this report.
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