ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Cathedral of St. Paul was closed down for a short time early Saturday afternoon for an alleged bomb threat.
Rachel Stassen-Berger of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweeted at 1:24 p.m. that a bomb threat had been made at the Cathedral:
Alleged bomb threat made at Cathedral of St. Paul https://t.co/kTY9IejCeE via @pioneerpress
— R. Stassen-Berger (@RachelSB) August 5, 2017
The Pioneer Press initially reported St. Paul police and fire crews cordoned off the area to the Cathedral and were turning cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles away from the intersection of John Ireland Boulevard and Marshall Avenue.
Police spokesman Steve Linders told the Pioneer Press a trespasser apparently lit paper materials on fire inside the Cathedral. People in the Cathedral acted quickly to extinguish the fire and held the man until police arrived, states The Minneapolis Star Tribune. One of the possessions of the trespasser concerned authorities enough to send a bomb squad into the Cathedral to make sure it was safe, out of an abundance of caution, the Pioneer Press reported.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the trespasser was carrying a paper bag with a Bible and Qu’ran tied together with wire inside the bag, according to Linders.
Linders told the Star Tribune the trespasser appeared to have mental health issues and will be evaluated.
The roads to the Cathedral have since been reopened.
Earlier this morning, Alpha News was live on the scene at the Dar al Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, where reports of an early morning explosion brought Bloomington Police and Fire Departments along with the FBI, ATF and Bloomington Bomb Squad to investigate these reports. Alpha News will give updates for this story as it unfolds.
