A homemade bomb exploded outside the Colorado Springs, Colorado, chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Tuesday. The FBI is now referring to the explosion as a deliberate incident.
"We are investigating all potential motives at this time and an act of domestic terrorism is certainly one possibility," said FBI spokeswoman Amy Sanders.
No deaths or injuries have been reported. The NAACP chapter's offices and a barber shop located inside the same building sustained minor damage.
"This certainly raises questions of a potential hate crime," said Sondra Young, president of the Denver chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People. "But at this point we're still gathering information. It's a very sad situation, but we're happy our people in Colorado Springs are safe."
The NAACP released a statement regarding the ongoing investigation:
No injuries were reported in what is believed to be an explosion near the Colorado Springs NAACP Branch located on the 600 block of S. El Paso St. The cause of the explosion is still unknown. The NAACP looks forward to a full and thorough investigation into this matter by federal agents and local law enforcement.
Attacks on the NAACP are a time-honored tradition in America. "Indeed, the NAACP has stood up against decades of violence against its members since its inception in 1909, in particular from the Ku Klux Klan," reports the Washington Post.
Thankfully no one was hurt in a suspicious explosion at our Colorado Springs #NAACP office. We remain vigilant.
— Cornell Brooks (@CornellWBrooks) January 7, 2015
This is not the first incident. Our bus was shot during the #JourneyforJustice last month. We continue our fight. pic.twitter.com/rOs4R3FlLu
— NAACP (@NAACP) January 7, 2015
