The Philadelphia Police Bomb Squad removed an 18-inch PVC pipe with capped ends and black powder behind a house of worship Sunday, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia.
The pipe bomb was reportedly found around 1:40 p.m. at the St. Dominion Catholic Church in the Holmesburg neighborhood of the city.
🚨#BREAKING: Police have discovered a 18-inch pipe bomb on Train Tracks
📌#Philadelphia | #PA
Multiple Law enforcement have responded after a 18-inch pipe bomb that is capped at both ends was disconnected on the Train Tracks in Frankford PA and have been reported to have burn… https://t.co/Pgll7wRG78 pic.twitter.com/NveqHoOegU
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 19, 2023
Surrounding streets were shut down as the bomb squad responded to the scene. An investigation is underway.
There were 420 acts of hostility against 397 churches between Jan. 2018 and Sept. 2022, according to a report by the Family Research Council.
Eleven of these incidents were bomb threats.
A Catholic church official was shot and killed Saturday in his Hacienda Heights home. (RELATED: Catholic Bishop Shot In His Own Home)
David O’Connell, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was pronounced dead at the scene.