On Christmas Eve, a bomb threat at Lakewood Church in Houston prompted a large police and emergency response. Officers arrived around 7 p.m., and an investigation was quickly launched, though details were initially limited, according to ABC13.
A person was detained by Houston Police after a threat was made about a "suspicious package" at a megachurch. "Officers were dispatched after reports that a man threatened to blow up the church with a device attached to sarin gas," Lt. Willkens with HPD told KHOU. The suspect and the bags were found after officers briefed the church's security team.
After a suspect was arrested near Lakewood Church, the Houston Police Department Bomb Squad and HFD hazmat teams investigated suspicious duffel bags but found no threats. The suspect now faces third-degree felony charges. Lakewood Church, led by Joel Osteen, has had previous security issues, including an incident in February when "A woman with a long rifle walked into Lakewood Church and was shot and killed by off-duty police officers," while her 7-year-old son was critically wounded, as reported by KHOU.
