A California courthouse was temporarily closed Wednesday after a pipe bomb exploded, local police said, arresting a suspect at the scene.
Two people were injured, but their injuries are not life-threatening, according to authorities in Santa Maria, a city near Santa Barbara, northwest of Los Angeles.
“Santa Maria Courthouse: Report of an explosion. Please avoid the area. Location is not considered safe,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department posted on social media.
A suspect “was immediately taken into custody,” they added. “The explosion was caused by an intentionally placed improvised explosive device.”
According to witnesses’ accounts to local media, a man arrived at the courthouse around 8:30 a.m. shouting. He dropped an object that began to give off smoke, causing passers-by to panic.
Employees working in offices near the court told AFP they saw and heard nothing, and only became aware of the explosion when police informed them.
The United States is on high alert just weeks before a hotly contested presidential election.
Last week, another alleged assassination attempt on Donald Trump was foiled after the shooter’s rifle was spotted in the bushes at his Florida golf club.
The Santa Maria courthouse was the scene of pop star Michael Jackson’s lengthy 2005 trial on child abuse charges.
