Dhe false bomb threats in the middle of the American election. Dozens of polling stations in three swing states, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona, were the target of false bomb threats on Tuesday, November 5, as Americans were called to the polls to elect their new president. In a press release, the FBI accuses Russia of being at the origin of these destabilizing operations in these three states where the presidential election is being played out.
“The FBI is aware of bomb threats targeting polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian electronic domains. So far, none of these threats have been deemed credible,” underlines the American federal police, which makes “election integrity” one of its priorities.
“We will continue to work closely with our local and state law enforcement partners to respond to any threats to our elections and protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote,” concludes the press release.
For his part, the head of elections in Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, affirmed that the source of the false bomb threats in his state “had been identified” and that “it was Russia”. According to his comments, reported by CNN, Georgia counties were the target of 60 threats in total.
In Fulton County alone, which includes the immense metropolis of Atlanta, police counted 32 bomb threats, 27 of which were quickly deemed false and 5 resulting in brief closures of polling stations. In neighboring DeKalb County, alerts targeted seven locations, including five polling places closed as a precaution. A judge consequently extended voting hours in the offices concerned.
“Foreign enemies”
In Pennsylvania, another key presidential state, Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters that numerous bomb threats had been made against polling places and public buildings across the state, but that none did not seem credible.
Arizona was the victim of four false “bomb threats”, which targeted four offices in Navajo County, where many Native Americans live, announced the elections official in this pivotal southwestern state. , Adrian Fontes. “We also have reason to believe, although I will not go into details, that it comes from one of our main foreign enemies, namely Russia,” explained this elected Democrat.
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According to Adrian Fontes, cited by theArizona Mirrorno polling station was forced to close due to these alerts. “Russia wants to sow distrust and mistrust,” he lamented. “Vladimir Putin would like us to hate each other. »
These attempts at destabilization are taking place during a particularly tense duel in the United States, between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.