Washington

Advertisment

Government affairs across different state capitols in the US were disrupted briefly on Wednesday (Jan 3) after a bomb threat was emailed to officials. The threats prompted evacuations from buildings but no explosives were found as federal authorities dismissed them as hoaxes. 

Those that evacuated statehouse offices or buildings included Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana. 

Advertisment

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it was aware of the bomb threats but had “no information to indicate a specific and credible threat", adding that it was closely cooperating with state and federal agencies to gather intel.  

“The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk,” it said in a statement.

Officials from some of the state capitols confirmed that they had indeed received threats which prompted the urgent action. 

Advertisment

Andy Beshear, the Kentucky governor took to X and stated that everyone was safe after the Secretary of State’s Office received the threat, leading to the evacuation of the personnel. 

"We are aware of similar threats made to other offices across the country. We thank our first responders for their quick response, and we will provide more updates," said Beshear. 

Watch | US: More trouble for Trump Presidential bid; Ghosts of Capitol Hill riots haunt Trump

×

Meanwhile, Scott Driscoll of the Connecticut state capitol police told staff and legislators: "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," he added.

Increase in threats

Lately, there has been an uptick in threats and attacks on various public buildings across the US. 

On Tuesday, a gunman broke into the Colorado Supreme Court building, fired several rounds of bullets and started a fire in the stairwell. He was apprehended a few hours later with initial reports suggesting former president Donald Trump's ballot ban by the court was what prompted the man to launch the attack. 

Also read | Days after Trump verdict, gunman breaks into Colorado Supreme Court building

However, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) later confirmed the two incidents were unrelated. “The CSP and DPD (Denver Police Department) are treating this incident seriously, but at this time, it is believed that this is not associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices,” it said.

(With inputs from agencies)