Authorities investigating explosion at L.A. area synagogue
UPDATE: Police now report that the explosion was accidental, not an act of terror, and not a bomb. Apparently there was a pressure build up in some mechanical system.
Authorities in Santa Monica, California, were investigating a Thursday explosion at a synagogue as a possible hate crime, fire department spokesman Judah Mitchell said.
A television news helicopter showed damage to the roof of a residence adjacent to the Jewish house of worship. The roof had a hole large enough for a man to crawl through it, with an unidentified object in the hole.
Police have evacuated a four-block area around the synagogue.
Authorities could not confirm the explosion was from a pipe bomb, but a bomb squad was on the scene, Mitchell said.