Surveillance footage shows a person tossing an explosive at The Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts, on April 8, prosecutors said.

A suspect has been arrested for allegedly throwing a pipe bomb at The Satanic Temple headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts, which damaged the building and where investigators found a letter addressed “Dear Satanist” at the scene, prosecutors announced.

Sean Patrick Palmer, a 49-year-old from Perkins, Oklahoma, was arrested on Wednesday morning and charged with using fire or explosives to damage a building involved in interstate or foreign commerce during the incident on April 8, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Surveillance footage captured a person igniting and throwing a pipe bomb over a fence onto the covered porch of The Satanic Temple at around 4:14 a.m., as described in an affidavit by an FBI agent. The bomb partially detonated and caused minor fire damage to the building’s exterior, according to the affidavit.

No one was inside the building at the time, and staff discovered the damage later that day, Salem police said.

The makeshift bomb was constructed using a plastic pipe taped with metal nails and filled with what was preliminarily identified as smokeless gunpowder, the affidavit stated.

The surveillance footage also showed the man tossing a small item into the building’s flower bed, where investigators later found a handwritten note, according to the affidavit.

The note, addressed “Dear Satanist,” references Elohim, a Hebrew name for God, and alludes to a vandalism incident at the building last year, the affidavit stated.

The letter reads in part, “Elohim sent me 7 months ago to deliver a peaceful message hoping you would repent. You refused, so Elohim now sent me to smite Satan, and I am happy to comply,” according to the affidavit.

About 7 months ago, on September 11, The Satanic Temple headquarters was vandalized with Bible verses spray-painted in white, as noted in the affidavit.

The Satanic Temple headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts, is located in a former funeral parlor.

Investigators also identified a car that appears to belong to Palmer in the area at the time of the incident, as well as a 2018 photo on the suspect’s Facebook that shows him wearing a tan vest similar to the one worn by the man in the video, according to prosecutors.

If convicted, Palmer could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors stated.

Palmer is set to make his initial appearance in an Oklahoma district court on Thursday and is expected to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date, prosecutors noted.

The Satanic Temple’s social media accounts describe it as “the only federally recognized international (non-theistic) religious Satanic organization.” Its Salem headquarters, located in a former funeral parlor, houses an art gallery with a permanent exhibit on Satanism, witch hunts, and moral panic, according to its website. Members also use the space for ceremonial events, meetings, and lectures.

Salem police stated that the headquarters has been a target of bomb threats and potential hate crimes in the past, including a June 2022 incident where a man was arrested on suspicion of arson.

Earlier this year, a Michigan man was also arrested and charged in his state with plotting to bomb the temple, according to the release.

In a statement on the arrest Wednesday, The Satanic Temple expressed gratitude to the police and federal investigators, and “profound gratitude to the Salem community for the outpouring of support we have received during this challenging period.”