Suncoast Pinellas News
Bomb Squad Detonates Package Outside Scientology Building
News Channel 8 image by MICHAEL EGGER
A robot from the Tampa Police Department bomb squad checks out the device.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: March 13, 2008
Updated: 03/13/2008 09:42 pm
ST. PETERSBURG On the birthday of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, church officials reported a bomb threat and had a bomb squad detonate a suspicious package outside their downtown building.
A security guard at the Life Improvement Center, 336 1st Avenue N., called police about 12:30 p.m. and reported finding a suitcase in an alley behind the building. He told police he had not seen the suitcase when he checked the alley earlier, according to a news release from the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Scientology officials were already on guard for suspicious packages, spokesman Pat Harney said, because the church has received several phone and Internet threats recently. Today's message implied that a bomb had been sent to one of the local Scientology buildings, he said.
Police in St. Petersburg closed local streets to traffic and called in a Tampa Police Department bomb squad to examine the suitcase, spokesman Bill Proffitt said.
The squad used a robot to examine the package and eventually blew it up just after 5 p.m. Proffitt said it contained a Bible, clothing and personal items.
One person was arrested at the scene and charged with obstructing a police officer after attempting to walk through an area that police had closed to traffic, according to the news release.
Police reopened the streets about 5:45 p.m.
The report of the suspicious package came this afternoon at about the same time Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge W. Douglas Baird denied an injunction the church sought to stop the Internet-based group Anonymous from protesting outside Scientology's headquarters in Clearwater this weekend.
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Linda R. Allan denied a similar request Thursday.
In the case Allan ruled on, the church was using a process usually used by women who are in fear of their abusive husbands or boyfriends. The church wanted all protestors to remain at least 500 feet away from church structures and officials.
Allan noted that the Church of Scientology is a corporation, not a person, and that the process the church's attorneys were seeking to stop the protesters is by law reserved for a "person who is the victim of repeat violence," according to a copy of her ruling.
The church's tact with Judge Baird was slightly different.
The bulk of the second petition was the same as the one Allan reviewed – alluding to threatening anonymous YouTube videos, for instance. But this time Scientology attorneys said the protestors, by standing at the entrances of church buildings, would "chill" church events and services, causing Scientologists not to attend. This, the church said, constituted a violation of church members' Constitutional rights.
Baird noted there was no evidence the 26 individuals named as members of Anonymous in the church's petition were responsible for any threats or wrongful acts against the church. And they hadn't been informed properly of the injunction the church was seeking.
"Under these circumstances, when threats from unknown individuals are received, or when incidents such as the various YouTube or MySpace postings are interpreted as threatening, the matter is more properly one for local law enforcement rather than the constitutionally extreme remedy sought by injunction without notice against these individuals," his ruling said.
TBO.com producer Laura Fiorilli-Crews contributed to this story. Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)
* Keep it clean
* Respect others
* Don't hate
* Don't use language you wouldn't use with your mom
* Use "Report Inappropriate Comments" link when necessary
* See Member Agreement for details
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
Reader Comments
Posted by ( Anonymoo ) on March 13, 2008 at 3:25 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( anonski ) on March 13, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
So was the package sent from the Ft. Harrison hotel?
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( anonymous0101won ) on March 13, 2008 at 3:51 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Sad. I really think the Church of Scientology is scrambling to discredit this Anonymous group with shady tactics that seemed to work in the 1950's. The concentration of concerned citizens that is Anonymous doesn't need threats or violence. They have the TRUTH on their side. The truth is what most frightens the Scientology organization. This con has gone on for far too long.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( mranon ) on March 13, 2008 at 3:55 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Are there any cameras in the area not owned by scientology? Anonymous welcomes a full investigation into finding the culprit. We do not condone violence of any kind, our protests are peaceful and we have gained the respect of law enforcement in the dozens of cities worldwide where we protested. The history of the church is not so pretty, in fact this stunt appears to be directly taken from their playbook of fair game. Investigate and find the person or persons responsible for this.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( Anonybird ) on March 13, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Christ, the CoS is getting desperate. Anonymoo is correct, this is just more of their smear campaign against the peaceful legion of Anonymous. Can't the "Church" get in crap for faking a bomb threat?
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( rrand ) on March 13, 2008 at 5:01 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Anonymous - Hate Crimes & Terrorism Directed at Scientology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCB0HkaH0oU
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( AnonMomAnon ) on March 13, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
anyone who has lived in this area for any amount of time knows that there are video cameras taping everything you do around every Scientology owned building in this area. why don't the $cieno's just check their own surveillance tapes and find out who put this "mysterious" box in the alley?
as stated by my fellow anons before me, anonymous welcomes and even encourages a full investigation into this bomb scare.
i implore any and all citizens of the tampa bay area to join anonymous in their peaceful protest against this cult this coming saturday--march 15th--at coachman park in clearwater at 10AM...march to begin around 11AM.
please help us stop the human suffering of innocent people in OUR community.
i am especially calling out to our local churches. it looks like this cult is imploding from within. there are many people who are going to need immediate help.
tampa bay? i challenge you to learn what $cientology is really all about and i challenge you to help us stop the human rights violations being done by the $cientologists.
we are not completely without hope:
amnesty international southern division in atlanta, georgia IS going over our concerns at this time and is determining if they can help us.
join us saturday at coachman park around 10AM.
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( VikingSansHorns ) on March 13, 2008 at 5:17 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Anonymous- Message Regarding Fake Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d06oINVcqYc
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( anoneemause ) on March 13, 2008 at 5:43 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
But this time Scientology attorneys said the protestors, by standing at the entrances of church buildings, would "chill" church events and services, causing Scientologists not to attend.
It's funny they should say that, because as you can see from all the videos and news reports from 2/10, the Church's leaders kept stating that Anonymous's precent would not deter their taking part of Church whatever. [pardon my french, I don,t remember the name of this right now bawww]
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( rogergonnet ) on March 14, 2008 at 6:08 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
This looks soooo much as one more attempt from the cult to avoid being picketed and criticized! Even if it's not their method,; it looks sooo evident that they have already tried many such tricks, used so many false pieces, false witnesses, false attestations and packs of lies about their opponents and critics that the guy who found the package should'nt even have reported it to the cult managers, unless he had been brainwashed!
Report Inappropriate Comments
Posted by ( anonemouse ) on March 14, 2008 at 2:12 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( bgodley ) on March 14, 2008 at 2:45 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( anonymous1337 ) on March 15, 2008 at 4:12 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)