Indiana mayor: Contractor believed to be pipe bomb target

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana mayor says a pipe bomb that exploded last month at a post office is believed to have been intended for a city contractor.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. disclosed the information on the intended target Tuesday, saying he had spoken to the FBI. McDermott also said a city worker received a bulky package in a separate incident last week containing threats.

He tells The (Northwest Indiana) Times "some creep" apparently sent both that package and a pipe bomb that exploded Sept. 6 in East Chicago, injuring a postal worker.

The FBI hasn't disclosed the bomb's intended target. The FBI says its investigation "remains open and active."

McDermott says Hammond police have been on alert for three weeks, officers are patrolling city hall and mail is being screened.