New Mexico churches ask for prayer after twin bomb attacks

Congregations and clergy from Las Cruces, N.M., met in Pioneer Park on Sunday evening to pray for peace, unity, and courage after back-to-back explosions rattled two churches that morning in the state’s second-largest city.

The explosions detonated outside the buildings in a mailbox and trashcan, interrupting morning services. The first explosion occurred at Calvary Baptist shortly after 8 a.m. About 20 minutes later, the next went off at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, stopping communion.

Monsignor John Anderson was passing the bread when the blast happened.

“I was right in the middle of saying the words ‘take and eat, this is my body’ and there was a Pow! I mean, I knew it had to be more than a gunshot,” he told the Las Cruces Sun-News. “I didn’t know if it was a shotgun blast, I didn’t know what. But it was very loud, and I just kept on saying the words.”

No one was injured in the explosions, and damage to each church was “relatively minor,” according to a statement from the Las Cruces Police Department. Attendees expressed shock as police stopped the services and asked them to leave their churches for safety.

“These devices were intended, I believe, to do harm and could have done harm to people,” said Las Cruces Police spokesman Dan Trujillo during a press conference on Sunday.

Gov. Susana Martinez called whoever placed the explosions outside the churches a “coward.” She said whoever committed the act will feel the full pressure of the law.

“If your intention was to bring fear to those who worship, you have failed. Our faith is too strong, and our fellowship is unbreakable," she said.

The churches remained closed Monday morning while multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, inspected the campuses and parking lots with a bomb squad dog unit. By Monday afternoon, parishioners were allowed back to pick up their vehicles.

Other churches in the city have contacted police about what, if anything, they should do to prevent future attacks. Police are advising them to look out for anything suspicious, but don’t inspect anything themselves.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.