Blast outside synagogue called intentional
Suspect known to seek charity at Jewish centers, police say
LOS ANGELES – A blast first thought to be an industrial accident outside a synagogue and community center was caused by a homemade explosive device and police have identified a suspect, authorities said Friday.
Bomb technicians and detectives conducted thorough examinations of the hunk of concrete and large pipe that flew some 25 feet into the air after the Thursday explosion at Chabad House Lubavitch of Santa Monica on Thursday.
“The device appeared to have been deliberately constructed,” Santa Monica police Sgt. Jay Trisler said in a statement.
Police have linked the device to Ron Hirsch, a 60-year-old transient known to spend time at synagogues and Jewish community centers seeking charity, Trisler said.
“Based on his suspected involvement in this incident, Hirsch is considered extremely dangerous,” Trisler said.
Hirsch was wanted on state charges of possession of a destructive device and unrelated local charges.
The explosion shattered windows, punched a hole in the synagogue, and sent the pipe ricocheting into a neighboring house where a young boy was sleeping. There were no injuries.
About 20 people had been attending a Passover service in the synagogue, and they and about 80 others from surrounding houses were evacuated for more than five hours.
Authorities said they knew of no motive behind the explosion, and Jewish groups said they did not believe anti-Semitism was necessarily behind it.