SALEM — An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to throwing a pipe bomb at The Satanic Temple (TST) in Salem, Mass. on April 8, 2024.
Sean Patrick Palmer, 49, of Perkins, Okla., pleaded guilty to one count of using an explosive device to damage and attempt to damage a building used in interstate or foreign commerce.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for June 12.
Palmer was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024 after being arrested on April 17, 2024, in Perkins, Okla.
According to charging documents, at approximately 4:14 a.m. on April 8, 2024, surveillance cameras captured Palmer approaching TST wearing a black face covering, a tan-colored tactical vest and gloves.
Palmer ignited a pipe bomb, threw it at TST’s main entrance, and fled the scene.
The improvised explosive device did not fully detonate, causing only minor damage to the temple’s exterior.
Investigators described the bomb as constructed from a roughly two-foot section of plastic pipe covered with metal nails attached with duct tape, filled with smokeless gunpowder.
Palmer’s DNA was found on the outside of the device.
A six-page handwritten note found in a flower bed near the attack site contained religious references and threats, stating in part: “ELOHIM NOW SEND ME TO SMITE SATAN AND I HAPPY TO OBEY.”
The charge carries a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
