A homemade pipe bomb was detonated at around 10:45 in the morning on Tuesday near the Colorado Springs chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The blast not only shook the organization's office, but also a nearby barber shop close to the building that came under attack. At present, federal investigators are surveying the area and conducting a thorough examination of the scene.
The bomb used for the attack was identified as an "improvised explosive device." In a statement released by NAACP on their official website, the organization pacified the public by disclosing that the blast did not take the life of any of its members or other innocent bystanders.
"No injuries were reported in what is believed to be an explosion near the Colorado Springs NAACP Branch located on the 600 block of S. El Paso St. The cause of the explosion is still unknown. The NAACP looks forward to a full and thorough investigation into this matter by federal agents and local law enforcement," said the group in their official statement.
Meanwhile, social media platforms have gone into a frenzy following the incident as no mainstream news media outlet immediately covered and reported on the Colorado Springs blast. In fact, most people only discovered the incident when #NAACPBombing started to trend or became a popular topic on Twitter.
Although no official reports have been released regarding the possible motive for the attack, quite a number of social media users are classifying the incident as a hate crime. One of the most forthcoming users on his opinion that this blast was rooted on a hate crime is DeRay Mckesson.
"And the building was bombed in the morning, when he knew people would be inside. This was an act of domestic terrorism," he posted in his Twitter page. Mckesson is one of the most active activists involved in the Ferguson protests.
However, Henry Allen, the NAACP Colorado Springs chapter president, shared that the group will not conclusively declare the blast as a hate crime or domestic terrorism. According to the Army veteran and ex-member of the law enforcement team, the organization intends to wait for the investigation to wrap up before making any declarations.
"This incident is not reflective of Colorado Springs," Allen asserted. "This is the actions of someone totally outside of the mindset of what goes on in this community," he added.
Meanwhile, NAACP President Cornell Brooks shared his relief that at least nobody was killed or wounded by the attack. "Thankfully no one was hurt in a suspicious explosion at our Colorado Springs #NAACP office. We remain vigilant," he posted in his Twitter account.
