The Illinois home of one of Pope Leo XIV’s brothers was the target of a bomb threat, which was found to be unsubstantiated, police said Thursday.
The report came in at around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. New Lenox police said they initially responded to the bomb threat at the home of John Prevost, one of Leo's older brothers, located about 40 miles southwest of Chicago.
Police officers secured a perimeter around the house and surrounding homes were evacuated out of an abundance of caution, New Lenox police said in a news release Wednesday. They conducted "a thorough search of the residence and surrounding property," alongside specialized units that use explosive detection K9s, and determined the threat was "unsubstantiated and that no explosive devices or hazardous materials were present."
No one was injured and evacuated residents were allowed to safely return to their homes afterward.
New Lenox Police Chief Micah D. Nuesse told NBC News in an email Thursday that an investigation to determine the origin of the report remains "active and ongoing."
NBC News reached out to Prevost on Thursday, but did not immediately hear back.
New Lenox police warned in their news release Wednesday that "making false reports of this nature is a serious offense and may result in criminal charges" and encouraged anyone with information about the incident to contact their office.
The incident comes amid an escalating feud between Leo and President Donald Trump over the first American pontiff’s criticism of the war with Iran.
It remains unclear whether the reported bomb threat is connected to any of these recent statements.
The feud began growing Sunday when Trump lashed out at Leo, calling him "WEAK on crime" and “terrible for Foreign Policy” following the pope's criticism of the war. Leo then responded by saying he has “no fear of the Trump administration" and vowed to keep up his appeals for peace that he said were rooted in the Gospel.
Trump then published a now-deleted social media post of an AI-generated image of himself as a Christ-like savior after the president said he's "not a big fan of Pope Leo."
Leo is in the middle of an 11-day trip through North Africa to honor his spiritual forefather,St. Augustine, who preached that war was only justified to protect the innocent.
During a visit to a care home in the Algerian port city of Annaba on Tuesday, Leo said. “God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies.”
He added, “Our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant or the proud.”
