On Election Day, Bomb Threats and Fake Videos Tied To Russia

The FBI said five US battleground states were targeted by bomb threats tied to Russia.

Vehicles pass by the sign for the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operations Center on November 4, 2024, in Union City, Georgia. Bomb threats tied to Russia disrupted voting in the county on Election Day. (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

By Tom Nagorski

Tom Nagorski is the Managing Editor for The Cipher Brief.  He previously served as Global Editor for Grid and served as ABC News Managing Editor for International Coverage as well as Senior Broadcast Producer for World News Tonight.

DEEP DIVE — In at least five battleground states Tuesday, polling places were targeted by bomb threats, “many of which appear to originate from Russian e-mail domains,” according to the FBI. While the bureau found no evidence of actual bombs, there were dozens of threats, many of which led to evacuations and delays or disruptions in the voting. Taken together, the hoaxes represented a stunning moment for a U.S. election: bomb threats traced to another country, aimed at disrupting the American electoral process. 

“They’re up to mischief, it seems,” said Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, who echoed the FBI statement and blamed Russia for the bomb threats. A senior official in Raffensperger’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the Georgia threats were sent from email addresses that had been used by Russians trying to interfere in past U.S. elections.

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