Oklahoma Man Arrested for Alleged Pipe Bomb Attack on Satanic Temple in Massachusetts
KOKH - April 19, 2024 6:45 am
Sean Palmer was arrested in Perkins for allegedly throwing a pipe bomb at The Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts (PHOTO: Boston FBI).
PERKINS, Okla. (KOKH) — A Perkins man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly throwing a pipe bomb onto the porch of The Satanic Temple (TST) in Salem, Massachusetts.
The FBI reported it had arrested 49-year-old Sean Palmer of Perkins for allegedly throwing the pipe bomb.
Palmer was taken into custody without incident following an investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The FBI further reported that Palmer was charged in a criminal complaint with using an explosive to cause damage to a building used in interstate or foreign commerce.
Palmer will make an appearance in the Western District of Oklahoma on Thursday and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to documents, at 4:14 A.M. on April 8, surveillance cameras outside TST captured a man walking toward TST wearing black pants, a black jacket, a black face covering, and a tan-colored tactical vest and gloves.
As the man, later identified as Palmer, approached TST, he ignited a pipe bomb, which is a type of improvised explosive device or ‘IED’, threw it at the main entrance, and ran away.
Seconds later, the pipe bomb reportedly partially detonated causing minor fire and related damage to TST.
According to documents, the pipe bomb appeared to have been constructed from a section of plastic pipe covered with metal nails that were attached to the pipe with tape. The pipe was filled with a powder-like substance, preliminarily identified as smokeless gunpowder. A single human hair was allegedly found on the pipe bomb containing a DNA profile from a Caucasian male (PHOTO: Boston FBI).A six-page handwritten note was found in a flower bed adjacent to where the pipe bomb was found. The letter allegedly stated:
Dear Satanist, Elohim send me 7 months ago to give you peaceful message to hope you repent. You say no, Elohim now send me to smite Satan and I happy to obey. And Elohim want me to contact you to tell you repent. Turn from sin. Elohim no like this place and plan to destroy it. Maybe Salem too? Elohim send me to fight crybaby Satan, but want me to make hard effort so no one dies. I obey.
A photograph of Palmer, who is a Caucasian male, posted to social media reportedly shows him wearing a tan-colored tactical vest like the one worn by the suspect in TST surveillance video.
Palmer is also said to frequently comment on social media about religious matters and themes similar to those contained in the handwritten note.
The documents also allege that on April 3, 2024. Palmer purchased PVC pipe and matching PVC end cap – like the pipe and end cap used to construct the pipe bomb from a home improvement retailer in Oklahoma.
The FBI reported that the charge of using fire or an explosive to cause damage to a building used in interstate or foreign commerce provides a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
