(PatriotWise.com) — A Michigan man was arrested on January 2 for allegedly plotting to attack the Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts, NBC Boston reported.
In a statement posted on Facebook last Saturday, the Salem Police Department said police in Grant, Michigan, had arrested 30-year-old Luke Issac Terpstra and charged him with possession of explosives and bombs with unlawful intent.
According to the statement, Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo wanted Salem residents to know that the arrest in Michigan was connected to their city.
Terpstra allegedly traveled to Salem in November to plan the attack. However, Salem police said there was no evidence that he was working with anyone local or had any accomplices.
The New Bedford Guide reported on Sunday that detectives from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office notified the Grant Police Department in Michigan on January 2 that a Grant resident was possibly making homemade explosive devices.
The bomb squad from the Michigan State Police was called in for assistance, and partially dismantled explosive devices were found in the suspect’s trash can.
Kent County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Terpstra. During an interview with investigators, Terpstra admitted that he intended to attack a location outside of the state.
Terpstra is being held on a $1 million cash bond.
The FBI is involved in the ongoing investigation.
This isn’t the first time the Satanic Temple headquarters in Salem have been targeted.
In June 2022, Daniel Damien Lucey of Chelsea, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to destruction of a place of worship, arson, and civil rights violations after setting fire to the temple.
According to prosecutors, security footage from the doorbell camera caught Lucey dousing the porch with lighter fluid before setting it alight and walking away. Lucey also left behind a backpack containing a Bible and a copy of the Constitution.
The fire was quickly put out, and Lucey was arrested after he was spotted in the crowd of onlookers.
Lucey admitted to traveling to Salem to set the fire. He accused temple members of being “devil worshipers.”
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