Police increase patrols near mosques and synagogues after discovery of hoax device

San Diego police plan to increase patrols near mosques and synagogues across the city next week after a suspicious “hoax-type device” was discovered Saturday near the Israel House in Balboa Park, officials said.

Police were called around 9:30 a.m. after something was found in the back of the building.

Officers from the subway arson team and the fire department’s bomb squad began investigating.

“The immediate area has been evacuated and a check has been carried out for additional packages. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that it was a fake device and did not pose a danger to the public,” the department said in a statement.

“Although this was not an actual destructive device, any hoax device specifically installed in such a location to cause fear is a crime and is taken very seriously.”

The statement said the department’s Criminal Intelligence Division “continuously monitors locally and nationally for any useful threat information.”

Extra police patrols in Balboa Park and near mosques and synagogues throughout the city were planned for at least the next week “out of an abundance of caution,” police said.

Anyone with information related to the hoax device was asked to call the Metro Arson Task Force at 619-236-6815 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.