Bomb threats target Ga., S.C. capitols, others across U.S.
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A hoax email about a bomb threat on Wednesday affected the Georgia and South Carolina capitols, among several others across the country.
In Atlanta, an email was sent to an employee at the Georgia Capitol and a search was conducted after the email was reported.
That delayed the opening of the Capitol for the day.
Eventually, the Capitol opened after the all-clear was given.
In South Carolina, the threat led to the evacuation of the State House in Columbia.
Authorities said a 7:45 a.m. email claimed an explosive device had been placed in the building.
The Bureau of Protective Services and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division used bomb-sniffing
dogs to search the building.
Public access to the State House was temporarily delayed until the sweep was complete, around 10:15 a.m.
The FBI said it was aware of numerous hoax bomb threats at state Capitol buildings, but had “no information to indicate a specific and credible threat.”
The bureau said it was working with state, local and federal law enforcement to gather, share and act on information.
“The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk,” it said in a statement.
The bomb threats came on the heels of a rash of false reports of shootings at the homes of Georgia public officials.
The “swatting” pranks prompted state lawmakers to call for stricter penalties.
Elsewhere
Wednesday’s bomb threat didn’t just affect Georgia.
Connecticut, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana also evacuated statehouse offices or buildings.
Other states — including Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri and Maryland — received threats, but didn’t close.
No explosives were found in any of the incidents.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on X, formerly Twitter, that the Capitol was evacuated while state police investigated a threat received by the Secretary of State’s Office. He said everyone was safe and officials were aware of similar threats made to other offices across the country. The threat was received as Kentucky lawmakers were meeting in the Capitol annex for ethics training.
Public safety officials locked down the Mississippi Capitol on Wednesday morning following a bomb threat on the second day of the legislative session. The state Senate delayed its morning meeting after the building was evacuated and bomb-sniffing dogs circled the building before an all-clear was given.
“This is an ongoing investigation and there is no further threat to the Capitol or surrounding buildings,” said Bailey Martin, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
The closures were brief in most states.
Montana’s Capitol building reopened within two hours after a sweep of the building was completed and the threat was found not to be credible, said Megan Grotzke, spokesperson for the Department of Administration.
Other states received a threat, but didn’t close. A “mass email” was sent to “several state entities” in Wyoming but was determined not to be a security threat and no offices were closed, Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Kyle McKay said.
Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
