Multiple bomb threats have been reported in cities and counties across the country Thursday, including Sacramento, El Dorado, and San Joaquin counties.
In a press release, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department said they're responding to and investigating multiple bomb threats at businesses and government facilities.
"We also received information that law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento area are receiving similar calls for service," the press release says, adding the nationwide scare has been determined to be a hoax.
The FBI is responding to the reports, though a number of local officials say they do not believe the threats are credible.
“We are aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety," the FBI said in a statement.
The bomb threats came in the form of a circulating email that demanded Bitcoin payments or wired money transfers, according to a tweet by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.
Across the country, some schools were closed early and others were evacuated because of the threats. Penn State University noticed students via a campus alert. Near Atlanta, people were ushered out of a courthouse.
Reports of bomb threats have come from the following cities:
- Washington, D.C.
- Jefferson County, Colorado, including at Columbine High School
- Hampton Roads, Virginia, including the World Trade Center in Norfolk
- Multiple cities across Oregon
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Boise, Idaho
- Buffalo, New York
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Lincoln County, Missouri
- Columbia, North Carolina