Officials in at least four states — Maine, Michigan, Arizona and Georgia — said on Tuesday that they had responded to threats against schools and polling places and that none were found to be credible.
The F.B.I. said it had learned of bomb threats in several states, “many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains,” but also found no evidence of genuine menace.
In Fulton County, Ga., five bomb threats that were determined to be “noncredible” prompted two polling locations in Union City, Ga., to close briefly, the county elections director, Nadine Williams, said at a news conference. Ms. Williams said the county was asking a court to keep the two locations open for an extra half-hour this evening.
Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, said at a separate news conference that officials had “identified the source and it was from Russia.”
A spokesman for Mr. Raffensperger’s office, Mike Hassinger, said in a text message that “the source of the threats is being investigated.” He added: “It’s unconfirmed. Looks like Russia, but could also be somebody spoofing Russia.”
A Fulton County spokeswoman said in a statement that the police had responded to multiple calls about threats against polling places. “We have investigated each of these and found no active threats,” the statement said. “We will continue to remain vigilant.”
Fulton County officials have promised to have a law enforcement officer at each of the county’s 177 polling places.
Bomb threats were also made against “a few polling locations,” in Michigan, according to Angela Benander, a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state’s office.
“They were all investigated and confirmed to be noncredible,” she said. “As far as Russia ties, we have been notified that that is what they believe has happened.”
In Arizona, threats were made against four polling locations in Navajo County, Adrian Fontes, the Arizona secretary of state, said at a news conference. He said the threats were found to be “unsubstantiated.”
“We have no reason to believe that any of our voters or any of our polling places are in any sort of jeopardy,” Mr. Fontes said. He added that officials also believed that the threats had come from Russia.
Maine State Police officials said they were aware of swatting calls at schools throughout Maine and the country. “We can confirm that there is no threat to the public,” the agency said in a statement on Facebook. Swatting is a false report of a threat intended to draw a heavy police response.
In Rockdale County, Ga., the sheriff, Eric J. Levett, said on Sunday that he had worked with the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies to investigate social media posts indicating that “white supremacists/KKK members” were planning to attack Black people — and Black women in particular — through the presidential inauguration. The messages were determined to be “untrue,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
Sheriff Levett said he was asking residents to remain vigilant and to report any threats to law enforcement. He said that violence or threats of violence “will not be tolerated!”
In Fulton County, Ga., beyond the brief closures in Union City, there appeared to be no serious effects from the earlier bomb threats.
At one of the polling places that closed briefly, C.H. Gullatt Elementary School, three law enforcement vehicles were parked near the front of the building.
Jacinta Russell, a school bus driver who voted there, said she had cast her ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I know too many people who died for me to vote,” Ms. Russell said. “I’m not going to let a little bomb threat keep me from doing it.”
The post Russia-Linked Threats Hit Several States, but None Are Found Credible appeared first on New York Times.