Federal Courthouse Hit By Pipe Bomb in San Diego
May 4, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
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UPDATE: The explosion early this morning at the Federal Courthouse in San Diego may be the work of a serial bomber who in April set off bombs at a Federal Express facility in the city, law enforcement officials said.
According to authorities, it appears the explosive device was inside a backpack. The bomber placed the device at the doors to the Edward J. Schwartz United States Courthouse, lit the fuse and fled.
The device was described by authorities as made of three galvanized pipe bombs, measuring 1-by-10 inches and two 3-by-8 inch explosives. The method of attack was similar to the April 25, 2008, explosion at a FedEx facility in San Diego. That bombing occurred at about 2 a.m. This one was set off at 1:40 a.m.
Original Story
A pipe bomb or series of pipe bombs exploded at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Courthouse downtown early Sunday morning, sending shrapnel into a courtyard and to the eighth floor of a building across the street.
Two guards with the Federal Protective Service, who were inside the building, called authorities when they heard the explosion at 1:40 a.m. on Front Street near Broadway. The guards were not injured.
Firefighters, police, FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents arrived minutes later to find the front entrance and the lobby of the building damaged.
The cause is believed to have been a bomb or bombs that detonated at once and caused a single explosion, said Keith Slotter, FBI special agent in charge of San Diego.
Before the investigation began, San Diego Metro Arson Strike Team investigators and ATF bomb investigators searched the area to make sure there were no other explosives.
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Early Sunday morning, about 40 agents combed the courtyard in front of the courthouse, Front Street and a courtyard on the other side, using evidence markers and spray paint to locate debris from the blast.“The damage from the shrapnel didn’t stay concentrated just in front of the door,” Slotter said.
One piece of shrapnel lodged in a window about eight stories up the AT&T building that faces the courthouse.
Authorities believe the device or devices were left outside the building’s front door shortly before being detonated.
Slotter said there are cameras outside the building that may provide information. There are no cameras that directly face the doorway, he said.
Authorities were still deciding whether or not the courthouse will be open to the public Monday. They expected to make a decision late Sunday.
