In reaction to a wave of bomb threats, Ohio sent state police to Springfield schools. Officials claimed that most of the threats originated abroad after former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, spread false information claiming that legal Haitian immigrants living in the small city were consuming dogs and cats.
Over thirty false threats were made against Springfield’s schools, government offices, and elected leaders’ houses, resulting in evacuations and closures. It was necessary to evacuate two additional schools. Republican governor Mike DeWine stated that a foreign actor bore most of the blame, but he would not identify the nation.
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DeWine’s spokeswoman, Dan Tierney, “The vast majority of the bomb threats came from foreign countries. Not 100 percent, but it’s the vast majority.”
Tierney claimed that information about the source of the bomb threats was obtained through a criminal investigation conducted by many law enforcement organizations. He declined to provide any details on how the investigators got to the conclusion that they were from a foreign nation and said that doing so may incite more threats.
“These are largely foreign actors, not folks in the community or another part of the United States,” he noted. “We think it’s useful in part because it shows that it’s, you know, false, that it’s safe to send your kids to school. And we’re providing extra patrol support to make sure people feel safe at school.”
DeWine declared on that he would be deploying several Ohio State Highway Patrol officers to assist in maintaining school closures. According to district spokeswoman Jenna Leinasars, there are now two highway patrol officers stationed at each of the 18 schools in the Springfield City School District.
“The troopers will conduct sweeps of the buildings for threats prior to school and sweep again, after school has ended. In between these sweeps, the troopers will be stationed at the building for the entire day,” she stated.
