State capitols around the country were evacuated on Wednesday over a series of threats.
Officials working in the state capitols of Kentucky, Mississippi, Georgia, Connecticut, Michigan and Montana were evacuated from their buildings or went into lockdown after receiving bomb threats, The Hill reported. Authorities have not immediately found explosives or other incendiary devices at any of the respective locations. (RELATED: MTG Swatted On Christmas)
“There have been multiple bomb threats to state capitols around the nation,” Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling said on Twitter Wednesday. “Do not jump to conclusions as to who is responsible. There will be chaos agents sowing discord for 2024. They want to increase tensions. Don’t let them.”
While everyone is safe, KSP has asked everyone to evacuate the state Capitol and is investigating a threat received by the Secretary of State’s Office. We are aware of similar threats made to other offices across the country. 1/2
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) January 3, 2024
The threats were first received by secretaries of state across the U.S. in a mass email sent Wednesday morning, according to The Hill. It isn’t clear who sent the emails or how the threats are connected.
The Kentucky state capitol was evacuated after receiving the threat just as lawmakers were convening in the complex’s annex for a training seminar, according to The Associated Press. The Mississippi state capitol went into lockdown after receiving threats until it was deemed safe to resume normal operations.
Georgia, Connecticut and Montana’s state capitols were evacuated and reopened shortly after authorities investigated and gave the all-clear signal. Michigan’s state capitol was evacuated and deemed safe after investigation, but the building will remain closed for the remainder of the day, according to NBC News.
In all cases, authorities did not find explosives and concluded there was no present threat, according to the AP.
The false alarms follow numerous “swatting” attempts against elected public officials, including Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican New York Rep. Brandon Williams and Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott. Swatting involves calling the authorities and falsely suggesting an emergency or crime is taking place in order to provoke an emergency response, which can sometimes lead to SWAT teams or other law enforcement showing up at an unsuspecting person’s home.
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