Explosions Cause Minor Damage, Shock Congregants at 2 New Mexico Churches

Fox News ^ | 8/2/15 | AP

[marshmallow]

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A pair of small explosions just 20 minutes and a few miles apart shocked congregants Sunday morning at two churches in southern New Mexico.

There were no injuries or deaths from the blasts outside Calvary Baptist and Holy Cross Roman Catholic in Las Cruces, Las Cruces police spokesman Danny Trujillo said. Each building sustained minor damage.

Authorities are working to determine who planted the explosives, what materials were used and whether the blasts were related.

"It doesn't appear to be coincidental because of the timing, but you never know," Trujillo told The Associated Press.

Several agencies including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and New Mexico State Police are assisting with the investigation.

The first explosive device went off at about 8:20 a.m. in a mailbox on a wall near the administrative entrance to Calvary Baptist. According to police, several worshippers were inside the church at the time, but services hadn't started.

According to churchgoers, the blast shook the building and there was debris around the damaged mailbox. Las Cruces police Sgt. Robert Gutierrez described seeing "just a lot of paper shreds."

The next blast came from a trash can outside Holy Cross Catholic at about 8:40 a.m. as Monsignor John Anderson was helping pass Communion.

[WayneS]

"Don't go poking around in trash cans or mailboxes," Trujillo said...

That'll make it kind of hard to empty my trash or get my mail...

[VR-21]

I grew up in El Paso in the 50’s and 60’s, and remember Las Cruces as a tiny, quiet little berg. It’s difficult to fathom this kind of thing happening there. It’s possible that it’s just the actions of some local punks.

[proxy_user]

Teenagers with cherry bombs? When I grew up, this happened all the time.

[Corky Ramirez]

Gays?
Mooslums?