US Presidential Election Terror Threats... 'Alert Posture' with Bulletproof Glass and Sniper Deployment

Georgia Temporarily Closes Polling Station Due to Fake Bomb Threat
FBI Confirms Russian Involvement, Warns of Fake News on SNS

As the US presidential election voting is in full swing, local election authorities and state governments are maintaining heightened vigilance. This is due to concerns not only about hostile foreign interference on election day, as previously warned by intelligence agencies, but also the fear that the 'January 6 Capitol riot' from four years ago could be repeated.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 5th (local time) that "apart from routine polling machine malfunctions and foreign-origin fake news circulating on social media, voting started relatively smoothly," describing the atmosphere on election day.

[Image source=Getty Images Yonhap News]

However, there were some incidents in certain battleground states. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that there were fake bomb threats targeting polling stations in four battleground states?Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin?sent from a Russian email address. The FBI added, "However, none of the threats are considered credible."

As a result, two polling stations in Fulton County, Georgia, and one in Gwinnett County were closed for 30 minutes. The Washington Post (WP) reported, "There were six threats in Georgia alone," all occurring in Democratic-leaning areas within Atlanta. Currently, local election authorities in these areas have requested the court to extend voting hours. In Wisconsin and Michigan, although fake bomb threats were received, voting was not disrupted.

US intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned of interference by hostile countries such as Russia and Iran in this election. The three major US intelligence agencies?the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)?issued a joint statement the day before, warning that "hostile foreign interference aimed at undermining public confidence in the fairness of US elections and sowing division will intensify starting on election day and continuing for weeks," urging vigilance against the spread of fake news on social media.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Currently, several areas including Georgia have installed bulletproof glass and security fences at polling stations, and poll workers have been trained to respond to violent incidents such as poison attacks, equipped with emergency buttons. Major foreign media reported that Phoenix, Arizona, one of the key battlegrounds in this election, has deployed rooftop snipers and surveillance drones. Michigan has introduced metal detectors to control access to counting centers.

The capital, Washington D.C., is also making thorough preparations. This is because thousands of fervent supporters of former President Donald Trump, who refused to accept his defeat four years ago, stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to block congressional certification. According to the Associated Press, more than 24 states have expressed willingness to deploy their National Guard troops to Washington D.C. if requested.

According to foreign media reports, 19 key battleground states have already deployed or placed their National Guard on standby. In 10 states including Arizona, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, the National Guard has begun operations primarily focused on cybersecurity missions. The National Guard is also on standby in Nevada, Pennsylvania, and other states.