Amid the U.S. election, the FBI reports that a series of fake bomb threats seem to originate from Russia, raising concerns over foreign interference. Learn more about the threats and their potential impact on election security.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a warning about bomb threats at polling stations in several U.S. states during a tense election day, noting that although none were deemed credible, many seemed to have originated from Russia.
The FBI released a statement following reports from authorities in the U.S. state of Georgia, indicating that fake bomb threats had momentarily interrupted voting on Tuesday.
The 2024 US presidential campaign has been notably turbulent, prompting authorities to enhance Election Day security measures to unprecedented heights due to worries about potential civil unrest, electoral misconduct, and violence directed at poll workers.
Spokeswoman Savannah Syms stated, “The FBI is aware of bomb threats directed at polling locations in several states, with many seemingly originating from Russian email domains.”
She added that none of the threats have been found credible thus far, urging the public to remain vigilant.
Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, announced that the state has identified the origin of bomb threats that temporarily interrupted voting at polling locations.
“It was from Russia,” he mentioned, offering no further details.
According to South Fulton’s Mayor Kobi, a minimum of seven polling stations in Georgia’s Fulton County received threats and were temporarily closed, as reported by AFP.
“None of the polling places were closed for over 30 minutes,” he informed AFP outside Feldwood Elementary School in South Fulton, one such location.
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Some individuals aim to dissuade residents of South Fulton from voting, yet we stand as the Blackest city in the United States.
“We are the descendants, sons and daughters of those who confronted lynch mobs and water cannons to secure their right to vote. Therefore, we will not be deterred by bomb threats,” he stated.
As Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump remain in a tight contest at the peak of the 2024 election race, officials are eager to assure anxious Americans that their votes are secure. Additionally, they have strengthened physical security measures for election operations across the country.
Poll workers have been equipped with panic buttons, special weapons teams stationed on rooftops, and hundreds of National Guard personnel are on standby.
The FBI established a national election command center in Washington to monitor threats around the clock throughout election week. Additionally, security measures have been enhanced at many of the nearly 100,000 polling stations across the United States.
The US Capitol Police, responsible for safeguarding the seat of Congress in Washington, announced on social media platform X Tuesday that they had apprehended a man who “smelled like fuel and was carrying a torch and flare gun.”
He was halted at the Capitol Visitor Center—a section of the complex that Trump supporters violently breached on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden.
The post stated that the visitor center would be “closed for tours today as we conduct an investigation.”
The bomb threats were not the initial instance where US authorities have accused Russia of interference during the voting process.
Just hours before the polls opened, officials issued a warning about Russia-linked disinformation operations falsely alleging that efforts were underway in key battleground states to fraudulently influence the election outcome.
On Friday, U.S. intelligence officials attributed the creation of a fake video to Russia; the video allegedly shows a Haitian immigrant claiming he voted multiple times.
The United States has previously imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and entities due to alleged attempts to interfere in the elections of 2016, 2018, and 2020.
AFP
