The Minnesota State Capitol was temporarily closed Wednesday morning in response to a bomb threat received via email at multiple state capitol buildings across the country.
“The Minnesota State Patrol Capitol Security team was made aware at 9 a.m. Wednesday of a bomb threat received via email at multiple state capitols nationwide,” Lt. Jill Frankfurth, public information officer for the Minnesota State Patrol, told Alpha News.
Frankfurth said that Capitol security, including troopers, security officers, and an explosives-detecting K-9, conducted multiple searches of the Minnesota State Capitol building from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.
No suspicious or threatening items were discovered during the thorough searches, and the Capitol building was reopened to the public, according to Frankfurth. During the searches, some activities within the Capitol were temporarily relocated to alternative buildings.
Frankfurth told Alpha News that Capitol security will maintain an increased presence within the building for the remainder of the day as a precautionary measure. The Minnesota Fusion Center, operated by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, is actively coordinating with other fusion centers nationwide to monitor the situation, she said.
Frankfurth did not elaborate on the nature of the threat or the source of the email.
Normal activities within the Minnesota State Capitol have resumed and the building has since been reopened.
Other state capitol buildings that received bomb threats include Montana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Michigan, and Connecticut. At the time of reporting, none of the other state capitol buildings found any credible evidence of a bomb.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
