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On Tuesday, polling stations in the United States received false bomb threats, which the authorities attributed to Russian destabilizing operations, which briefly disrupted voting in the swing state of Georgia (southeast), which is important in the country. Presidential elections.
The FBI said in a statement that it was “aware of bomb threats at polling places in several states, many of which appear to have originated from Russian Internet domain names.”
The office confirmed that “none of these threats have been considered serious yet,” without specifying the states concerned, and called on residents to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities.
For his part, Brad Raffensperger, head of the electoral authority in Georgia, confirmed that the source of the false bomb threats in his state, which is Russia, has been identified.
Secretary of the US State of Georgia: #Russia Behind the bomb threat at polling stations, they do not want us to hold smooth, fair and accurate elections#Al Jazeera_America24 pic.twitter.com/J4mWgGKcS7
– Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) November 5, 2024
Reuters quoted a senior official in Raffensperger’s office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that the false messages were sent from email addresses previously used by Russians who attempted to interfere in the previous US elections.
He added that threats were sent to the American media and the two polling sites. “It’s likely Russia,” the official said.
Police and Fulton municipal officials in Atlanta, the main city in the state of Georgia, reported a series of such incidents that led to the closure of polling stations for a short period.
South Fulton Mayor Mayor Coby told Agence France-Presse that at least 7 polling places in Fulton County received threats and were closed for a short period. He explained, “None of the polling stations were closed for more than 30 minutes.”
“There are some people who are trying to discourage people in South Fulton from voting, but we are the grandchildren, sons and daughters of the people who faced lynch mobs and water cannons to exercise their right to vote. We will not allow bomb threats to change our course,” Kobe added.
Officials said Fulton County is seeking a court order to extend its voting period beyond 7 p.m., when polls in Georgia are scheduled to close.
The United States previously imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and entities over alleged attempts to interfere in the elections held in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
The FBI established a command center specialized in election affairs in Washington to monitor threats around the clock throughout election week, and security was strengthened in many polling centers in the United States, which number about 100,000 centers.
The Capitol Police, which protects the headquarters of Congress in Washington, announced on Tuesday via the “X” platform that it had stopped a man who “smelled of fuel, and was carrying a flashlight and a flare pistol.”
The man was arrested at the Capitol Visitors Center, part of the complex that was stormed by Trump supporters in the bloody riots on January 6, 2021, in rejection of his loss in the elections to Joe Biden.
A number of US states had summoned dozens of National Guard members to support efforts to secure the elections amid a tense atmosphere and fears of possible political violence.
The Hill newspaper quoted the National Guard Bureau as saying that 252 of its members are currently actively deployed in 15 states: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
The office added that 87 other Guard members are on alert for possible dispatch to Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and Washington, D.C.
The National Guard Bureau stated that this deployment is consistent with procedures taken in previous elections.
