At least three people have been arrested this Tuesday, coinciding with an election day in United States which has also been marked by failures of software on vote-reading machines in Pennsylvania, false bomb threats of Russian origin in Georgia, and sporadic acts of violence.
Of those arrested, the Capitol Police detained a man who. “smelled like fuel.” and that he was carrying a flare gun in the visitor center, it detailed in a brief statement in which it added that the suspect had been detained during a security check upon entering the building, without providing further information.
In Georgia, meanwhile, an election worker was detained after allegedly sending a letter to Gray’s city office. in which he threatened to bomb the disputed state’s polling place, which has seen a high turnout since the early voting deadline began.
But a few hours later, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced that. the threats were false and the work of a “foreign state actor,” namely Russia. Raffensperger added at a press conference that the intent of the threats was to “destabilize” the United States.
The FBI said in a statement that it had received information of the bomb threats and that its priority was to ensure “the integrity of the election” as well as the protection of voters.
“The FBI is working closely with state and local law enforcement to respond to election threats and protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote,” the FBI explained.
Despite the threats, noon, more than half a million people had voted in person in Georgia.
In another key state, Pennsylvania, problems of software on ballot-reading machines forced a judge to extend voting in Cambria County by two hours until 22.00 local time (1.00 GMT Wednesday).
The Pennsylvania Department of State acknowledged in a statement the problems in Cambria County and added that. “all completed ballots will be accepted.placed in a safe place and counted by the Board of Elections”.
Also in Pennsylvania, authorities reported that they are investigating hundreds of cases of alleged voter registration fraud in six counties.
Pennsylvania, which sends 19 Electoral College compromisers, is considered the key state in this election to determine who, between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, will win the U.S. presidency.
While in New York State, a man was arrested in the town of Fowler, when he threatened the staff at a polling station to burn down the building after being informed that he could not vote because he was not registered.
The FBI also warned Tuesday that at least two videos that were circulating on social media with his name and the organization’s insignia to disseminate false information about the presidential election.
Independent researchers have indicated that the videos were likely created by a Russian group.