Bomb threats at U.S. election polling places not ‘credible,’ FBI says – National

Officials have so far contained any potential security incidents as Americans cast their ballots on Election Day in the United States.

Multiple key battleground states including Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan were targeted by bomb threats on Tuesday, forcing the brief closure of some polling stations but not appearing to significantly disrupt voting.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement early Tuesday afternoon that it was aware of bomb threats made at polling locations in several states, “many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains.”

But the FBI said none of the threats have so far been found “credible.”

“Election integrity is among the FBI’s highest priorities,” the bureau said in a statement. “We will continue to work closely with our state and local law enforcement partners to respond to any threats to our elections and to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote.”

The FBI urged the public to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.

For live coverage when polls close, globalnews.ca has up to the minute results.

At least two polling sites targeted by the hoax bomb threats in Georgia were briefly evacuated on Tuesday.

Those two locations in Fulton County both re-opened after about 30 minutes, officials said, and the county is seeking a court order to extend the location’s voting hours past the statewide 7 p.m. deadline.

Ann Jacobs, head of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said fake bomb threats were sent to two polling locations in the state capital of Madison, but did not disrupt voting. Jacobs did not know if the threats were linked to Russia.

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An FBI official said that Georgia alone received more than two dozen, most of which occurred in Fulton County, which encompasses much of Atlanta, a Democratic stronghold.

Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also blamed Russian interference for the Election Day bomb hoaxes.

“They’re up to mischief, it seems. They don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election, and if they can get us to fight among ourselves, they can count that as a victory,” Raffensperger told reporters.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., a man armed with a flare gun and bottles that police said smelled of gasoline was arrested during a screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday.

The man attempted to gain access to the building shortly after noon, according to U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger.

He told reporters that Capitol police asked the man to put his belongings on a conveyor belt before noticing the “scent of gasoline” coming from his backpack, which contained two bottles of what appeared to be a fire accelerant.

Officers detained the man and found a flare gun and lighters on his person. He was also carrying a collection of papers that Manger said investigators are still poring over.

“He had papers with him that he said his intent was to deliver to Congress. We’re still going through all of those papers, it’s quite a bit,” Manger said.

The suspect’s vehicle was located at 9th and Maryland Avenue, NE, which has been cleared by security officials, police said. Manger said it appeared the man was from outside the D.C. area.

It’s not clear what the suspect was attempting to do at the Capitol at this point in the investigation, Manger said.

The police chief added, “there’s no indication right now” that the security incident “had anything to do with the election.”

The Capitol Visitor Centre is closed for the day as police investigate.

Manger said Capitol police have been in an “enhanced posture” related to possible security incidents leading up to Election Day, and would maintain that readiness through to the inauguration in January.

— with files from The Associated Press and Reuters

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