Several State Capitols on Alert Following Bomb Threats
Several state buildings across the U.S. are on alert Wednesday, following a series of bomb threats made to buildings across the country. Threats were reported in several states— including Mississippi, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Georgia state capitols.
The Georgia State Capitol delayed its opening due to an emailed bomb threat on Wednesday morning— though officials later said it was a hoax email, according to WSBTV.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]The Kentucky Capitol was also evacuated after the Secretary of State’s office received a threat claiming there was a bomb in the building.
“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,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a statement posted on X. “We are aware of similar threats made to other offices across the country.”
The Connecticut State Capitol was also evacuated after a threat claimed there were multiple explosives in the building, though it was later reopened after no threat was found.
“Earlier this morning, the Connecticut State Capitol Police received complaints from numerous employees about a suspicious email that was received. The email, which apparently was sent to numerous states, claimed to have placed multiple explosives in the Capitol Building,” Scott Driscoll, a member of the Connecticut State Capitol Police Department, said in an email, according to The Hartford Courant.
The Michigan State Capitol also evacuated the building on Wednesday morning after a threat was sent to a general account for the Michigan State Capitol Commission around 7:45 a.m., the Michigan State Police told TIME in an email. “We are aware of similar threats sent to government agencies across the country.” The Michigan State Police said they have canine teams sweeping the building, and added that the capitol will remain closed for the remainder of the day.
In a statement, the FBI said they were aware of the incidents and working to locate the source.
“The FBI is aware of the numerous hoax incidents wherein a bomb threat at a state capital is made,” the bureau said. “The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.”