The FBI warns about Russian emails sending false bomb threats to voting centers.
So far, none of the bomb threats have been considered credible.
The FBI has issued a warning regarding false bomb threats that have been emailed to polling places in several U.S. states, which appear to originate from Russian email domains. So far, the agency has indicated that none of these threats have been deemed credible. The FBI is working closely with state and local authorities to address any election-related threats, as well as urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
It has been reported that false threats were sent to polling locations in Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin, leading to the evacuation of at least two centers in Fulton County, Georgia, on Tuesday. According to reports, both locations were reopened after approximately 30 minutes. County authorities have requested a court order to extend voting hours at these locations beyond 7 PM ET, which is the cutoff established in the state.
These threats appear to be part of a broader campaign aimed at sowing distrust and chaos in U.S. elections. Last Friday, the FBI, along with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, issued a joint statement warning about fake videos created by Russian actors designed to “raise unfounded doubts about the integrity of elections in the U.S.” In another statement, these agencies noted that Russian influence actors were amplifying false claims about U.S. officials allegedly planning to “orchestrate election fraud using a variety of tactics.”
This situation is set against years of concern regarding Russia's online interference in U.S. politics, which has included influence campaigns carried out by the Internet Research Agency linked to the Kremlin, as well as information acquisition from voter registration records by Russia and Iran, which may have been used to threaten individuals via emails if they did not vote for Trump in 2020.
