Multiple bomb threats were reported across Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania on election day as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump head to a tight presidential race. In Georgia and Arizona, authorities said the non-credible threats from Russia briefly disrupted the polling processes.
In Georgia alone, 12 polling places received threats. "We identified the source, and it was from Russia. They’re up to mischief, it seems, and they don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election,” said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Threats were also targeted at two non-voting sites.
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The FBI said it is aware of bomb threats to voting sites in several states and that many of them seem to have come from Russian email domains. "None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far," it added.
The Russian embassy in Washington, DC has dismissed the allegations as "malicious slander".
A government building in Pennsylvania's West Chester where voting services are located was evacuated after receiving a bomb threat.
Josh Maxwell, chair of the Chester County Board of Elections, said the voter services are located at the Government Services Centre where in-person ballots are delivered after 8 pm. He clarified that the mail-in ballots are canvassed and tabulated at a different place.
The building was searched by the dog squad and was expected to resume services if no threat is found.