Hoax bomb threats possibly linked to Russia target polling places in battleground states: FBI

ATLANTA – Hoax bomb threats, many of which appeared to originate from Russian e-mail domains, were directed on Nov 5 at polling locations in five battleground states – Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – as election day voting was under way, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“None of the threats has been determined to be credible thus far,” it added, noting that election integrity is among its highest priorities.

At least two polling sites targeted by the hoax bomb threats in Georgia were briefly evacuated.

Those two locations in Fulton County reopened after about 30 minutes, officials said, and the county sought a court order to extend the location’s voting hours past the statewide 7pm deadline.

Georgia’s secretary of state, Mr Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, blamed Russian interference for the bomb hoaxes.

“They’re up to mischief, it seems. They don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election, and if they can get us to fight among ourselves, they can count that as a victory,” he told reporters.

The Russian Embassy in Washington said insinuations about Russian interference were “malicious slander”.

“We would like to emphasise that Russia has not interfered and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including the United States,” the embassy said. “As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed, we respect the will of the American people.”

Ms Ann Jacobs, head of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said fake bomb threats were sent to two polling locations in the state capital of Madison, but they did not disrupt voting.

A spokesperson for Ms Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s Democratic secretary of state, said there had been reports of bomb threats at several polling locations, but none was credible.

Ms Benson’s office had been notified that the threats may be tied to Russia, the spokesperson added.

An FBI official said Georgia received more than two dozen threats, most of which occurred in Fulton County, which encompasses much of Atlanta, a Democratic stronghold.

Police in DeKalb County, Georgia – another Democratic stronghold – responded to bomb threats at eight locations, according to a county press release. Six of the locations were polling places and evacuations occurred. County officials sought an emergency order extending opening times at the voting sites.

DeKalb County police later said no bombs were found at the six voting sites.

A senior official in Mr Raffensperger’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Georgia bomb hoaxes were sent from e-mail addresses that had been used by Russians trying to interfere in previous US elections. The threats were sent to US media and the two polling locations. “It’s a likelihood it’s Russia,” the official added.

Mr Adrian Fontes, the Arizona secretary of state, a Democrat who is the chief election official in the swing state, said four fake bomb threats were delivered to polling sites in Navajo County, in the north-eastern part of the state which includes three Native American tribes.

The phoney bomb threats mark the latest in a string of examples of alleged interference by the Russians in the 2024 election.

On Nov 1, US intelligence officials warned that Russian actors manufactured a video that falsely depicted Haitians illegally casting ballots in Georgia. Intelligence officials also found that the Russians created a separate phoney video that falsely accused someone associated with the Kamala Harris presidential ticket of taking a bribe from an entertainer.

US intelligence officials have also accused Russia of interfering in previous US presidential elections, especially the 2016 race which Donald Trump won against Democrat Hillary Clinton. REUTERS