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Oklahoma Man Indicted for Alleged Pipe Bomb Attack on Satanic Temple in Salem
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Sean Patrick Palmer, 49, of Perkins, Oklahoma, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly throwing a pipe bomb at The Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts on April 8, 2024.
According to the charging documents, surveillance cameras captured a man, subsequently identified as Palmer, walking towards TST wearing a black face covering, a tan-colored tactical vest and gloves. It is alleged that as Palmer approached TST, he ignited a pipe bomb – a type of improvised explosive device or “IED” – threw it at TST’s main entrance and ran away. Seconds later, the IED partially detonated causing minor fire and related damage to TST’s exterior.
The pipe bomb was constructed from a section of plastic pipe covered with metal nails attached to the pipe with tape. The inside of the pipe was filled with a powder-like substance, preliminarily identified as smokeless gunpowder. DNA from a Caucasian male was found on the outside of the IED.
A six-page handwritten note was found in a flower bed adjacent to TST, near the area where Palmer allegedly threw the IED. The letter stated: “DEAR SATANIST… ELOHIM SEND ME 7 MONTHS AGO TO GIVE YOU… PEACEFUL MESSAGE TO HOPE YOU REPENT.”
Palmer was initially charged by criminal complaint and arrested on April 17, 2024 in Perkins, Oklahoma. He subsequently appeared in federal court in the Western District of Oklahoma, where the Court ordered Palmer detained and transferred to the District of Massachusetts. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
The charge of using fire or an explosive to cause damage to a building used in interstate or foreign commerce provides for 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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