Minnesota among dozens of states to receive threats involving capitol buildings

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Judicial Branch says justices hearing arguments in the Capitol Courtroom had to leave the building after a threat involving the Capitol was made on Wednesday.

According to the spokesperson, the Minnesota Capitol was among dozens of capitols across the country to be threatened on Wednesday. ABC News says Michigan, Mississippi, Georgia and Kentucky are among the states who also received threats for their capitols.

RELATED: Multiple state capitols evacuated due to threats, but no dangerous items immediately found

The Minnesota State Patrol says its security team at the building learned about the threat around 9 a.m., adding it came in by an e-mail.

As a result, the building was locked while state troopers, security officers and K-9 officers trained to detect explosives searched the building from 9:30-10:15 a.m. That’s when security guards moved justices to the Minnesota Judicial Center, where oral arguments continued.

Once the searches were done, the building reopened since no threatening or suspicious items were found.

The State Patrol adds there will be an increased presence of Capitol Security at the building for the rest of the day.

Early Wednesday afternoon, the FBI issued the following statement about the threats made at state capitols across the country:

“The FBI is aware of the numerous hoax incidents wherein a bomb threat at a state capitol is made. The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.”

FBI