Washington DC, United States

As the United States general election nears the finishing line on Tuesday (Nov 5), there have been reports of 'bomb threats' of Russian origin, apart from bad weather and voting machine glitches that led to delays or extensions of polling time.

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The email threats were described by authorities and the FBI as 'non-credible' amid reports that foreign adversaries including Russia and China were trying to disrupt the US election process.

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There have been some arrests, amid long lines that broke records in some states as Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris race for the White House in a supertight presidential election.

The bomb threats were received over email at some polling stations in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia, leading to delays as law enforcement cleared the areas.

The FBI said the threats "appear to originate from Russian email domains" adding that no threat was credible thus far.

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In Georgia, a key battleground state, the bomb threats were reported in Union City near the capital Atlanta, leading to the temporary shutting of two polling stations, CNN reported citing Nadine Williams, Fulton County Registration and Elections Director.

Similarly, a station was evacuated in the state's Gwinnett County for nearly an hour over a bomb threat, local police said.

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In Michigan, bomb threats that were initially reported to be serious were found non-credible after a probe, CNN quoted the state's Attorney General Dana Nessel as saying.

All bomb threats were traced to email IDs with domains registered in Russia.

Some polling stations saw delays due to voter ID checking, and malfunctioning voting machines in an election closely scrutinised, vote by vote.

Election officials are seeking to prevent a repeat of 2020 when Trump claimed fraud, which he appeared to repeat already through some social media posts on Tuesday.

CNN cited Cait Conley, senior adviser at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as saying that there were no significant national-level incidents impacting election security.

The turnout has been impressive, with Michigan breaking the record that it already holds for the largest number of votes polled.

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Sporadic incidents of violence and some arrests have been reported in Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Washington DC, while voting machines malfunctioned in a Pennsylvania booth leading to an extension of polling time.

Trump also raised doubts about the conduct of elections. "A lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia. Law enforcement coming!!!” he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Massive security is in place, including snipers and drones securing polling locations, apart from 350 National Guard personnel and monitoring of cyber threats.

Security has been beefed up and troops are on standby in the national capital Washington, DC and 18 states including some battlegrounds.

(With inputs from agencies)