FBI calls bomb threats that prompted lockdowns of multiple state capitols a hoax

A series of hoax bomb threats on Wednesday prompted evacuations and lockdowns at multiple state capitols across the country, including Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Montana.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation declared Wednesday's bomb threats a hoax. They said they had "no information to indicate a specific and credible threat," but are working with state, local and federal law enforcement agencies to find out more.

“The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk,” the FBI said in a statement.

According to CNN, the anonymous sender of the emailed bomb threat to at least 23 states wrote that they had bomb threats in "your state Capitol." Michon Lindstrom, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office, told the news outlet that a mass email was "sent to several (Secretaries of State) and state offices across the country."

The threat illuminates a recent rise in cases of swatting against public officials. Swatting entails the interception of harassing calls or messages to 911 operators to prompt police involvement.

How did government officials respond to threats Wednesday?

No damage was done to state capitol buildings after the series of threats and several government officials have reported they are safe. Investigations into the threat are ongoing.

• In Kentucky: "While everyone is safe, (Kentucky State Police) has asked everyone to evacuate the state Capitol and is investigating a threat received by the Secretary of State’s Office," wrote Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on X, formerly known as Twitter.
• In Mississippi: “This is an ongoing investigation and there is no further threat to the Capitol or surrounding buildings,” Bailey Martin, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, told The Associated Press.
• In Montana: "Montana’s Capitol building reopened within two hours after a sweep of the building was completed and the threat was found not to be credible, said Megan Grotzke, spokesperson for the Department of Administration, to AP.

Swatting cases against politicians are on the rise

Several public officials were the subject of swat calls over the holidays. Some recent cases include:

• On Christmas, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia was the target of swatting. “I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here. My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn’t have to deal with this,” Greene wrote in a post on X.

• Republican Rep. Brandon Williams of New York said on X he was also the target of swatting. "On Christmas, someone swatted my home in an attempt to silence or frighten me and my family," he wrote.

• Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was also the victim of swatting, The Guardian reported. "Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards ‘swatted’ my home in Naples," Scott wrote on X. "These criminals wasted the time & resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family. Scott said he was going to "make sure that the cowards who make these calls & waste law enforcement resources to terrorize & harass their targets will face real consequences."

Contributing: Associated Press

Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @kaylajjimenez.