FBI ‘Aware’ of Hoax Bomb Threats at Various State Capitols

On Wednesday, multiple state capitols fell victim to fake bomb threats, something that the FBI has said it is “aware” of.

According to ABC News, “numerous” threats were made against state capitol buildings, state legislatures, and secretaries of state.

“The FBI is aware of the numerous hoax incidents wherein a bomb threat at a state Capitol building is made,” the FBI said in a statement. “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,” the bureau added.

The hoax was carried out in the form of a mass email titled “Explosives inside of your State Capitol.” In the email, the author claimed that “I placed multiple explosives inside of your State Capitol,” and that “the explosives are well hidden inside and they will go off in a few hours. I will make sure you all end up dead.”

The capitols that were targeted were in the states of Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and South Dakota.

Several of the capitol buildings were ordered into lockdown as searches were conducted. Many of them have since been reopened after the searches yielded no threats.

The FBI released a statement asking the public “to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.” Sources in law enforcement have since said that they believe the hoax originated from overseas.