Federal officials have launched a preliminary inquiry into whether recent acts of vandalism against Mormon temples and meeting houses are hate crimes, a department spokesman said Friday.
"We are looking into whether these acts are intimidating people into not going into houses of worship," said Juan Becerra, of the Salt Lake City FBI. "The right to worship is a basic civil right."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints actively supported the passage of Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in California.
Since the Nov. 4 election, seven houses of worship in Utah have been vandalized, according to Becerra.
Thursday, envelopes filled with an unidentified white powdery substance were delivered to two Mormon temples, one in the Los Angeles area and one in Salt Lake City.
Preliminary results showed that the white substance tested negative for known hazardous biological agents and toxins. The final report should be available next week.
Becerra said federal agents are working with Salt Lake City church officials and local law enforcement.
Sacramento church officials have stepped up security at the Rancho Cordova temple.
Ten church buildings in the region have been vandalized since the election, said Lisa West, spokesperson for the church in the Sacramento area. "That's more than we usually get in an entire year."
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