Police investigating firebombing at Texas church

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, July 24, 2023

Police in Texas are investigating the firebombing of Community Unitarian Universalist Church of Plano, a congregation recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a "Welcoming Congregation," because they include “folks who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer at every level of congregational life.”

Unitarian Universalism according to the Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria, “is a liberal religion that encompasses many faith traditions. Unlike most religions, it is not centered on specific theological beliefs. Unitarian Universalists are free to search for truth on many paths.”

Church officials announced in a statement on Facebook that the building was hit with “an incendiary device” between 12 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Hours later, they continued with their worship service under police protection.

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“An incendiary device with a chemical accelerant was thrown or placed at the front doors of the main church building. The fire and smoke caused the monitored fire alarm system for the building to go off, which notified church personnel,” the statement said.

It was revealed that a passerby who was on the scene at the time of the attack saw the fire and contacted local police for help, which helped to limit the damage suffered by the building.

“City of Plano Firefighters arrived on the scene and were able to extinguish the fire. Because of the quick action of Plano’s First Responders, the damage to the church property was limited to the front doors, the materials directly outside the front doors, and the entrance foyer,” the religious group said.

“Plano Police and Fire Department personnel did a thorough collection of evidence of the crime scene. They also interviewed multiple church personnel who arrived on-site to assess the incident,” the statement added.

There were no injuries as a result of the attack.

No one was immediately available to discuss the attack when contacted by The Christian Post on Monday, but the religious group explained in its statement that it had been working on increasing security since one of its services was interrupted by what it described as a "hate group" last month.

“Church officials have been reviewing building security and working with the Plano Police Department since the intrusion of a hate group in the church building during and after Worship Service on Sunday, June 25. That group has posted video of their activities inside the church on various social media sites,” the statement reads. “The church community asks for your support and prayers at this time as we deal with the impact of this incident.”

It is not immediately clear what the name of the so-called hate group is and what acts they are accused of carrying out. 

Arson investigators are looking into who is responsible for the attack and if more than one person is involved, a Plano Police Department spokesperson told The Dallas Morning News. 

Despite the firebombing, members continued with their worship on Sunday under the watchful eyes of members of the Plano Police Department.

“We are going forward with Worship Service this morning,” the Community Unitarian Universalist Church said in its most recent statement since the firebombing on Sunday. “The Plano Police Department is providing security and we are meeting. Worship at 10:30!”