The Michigan State Capitol building was evacuated Thursday morning after someone called the facility’s control center with a bomb threat, numerous sources reported.
Police say a man called the State Capitol Facilities Control Office in Lansing at 6:40 a.m., less than 24 hours after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., leading to some government buildings across the country to go on high alert, WCSI reported.
The Michigan State Police bomb squad evacuated the building, which was empty because the legislature wasn’t in session, and then searched the area with bomb-sniffing dogs. By 9 a.m, police reopened the building after determining it was safe, according to a statement.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Michigan State Police (MSP) sent additional resources to the Capitol to assess the validity of the threat,” the statement reads.
We are getting a lot of questions reference to the Bomb Threat at the Michigan Capitol. Please see the attached release for up to date information. pic.twitter.com/XF26YsZ1kW
— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) January 7, 2021
BREAKING: Michigan State Police Bomb Squad at the Michigan Capitol.
Police just entered with a canine dog and are asking asking people to stay away from the Capitol building at the moment. pic.twitter.com/OJsPWsHkz6— Michael Thomas (@michaeltnews) January 7, 2021
Michigan State Police say they are still investigating the threat and will charge the man behind it once he is identified, according to 13 ABC.
From Michigan Capitol Commission Executive Director on bomb threat called into the Capital Thursday morning: “It’s not the first and won’t be the last, unfortunately.”
— Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) January 7, 2021
Several hundred people had gathered outside the Michigan Capitol Building in order to peacefully protest, the Detroit Free Press reported.
A mob of Trump supporters also broke through a gate at Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s mansion the same day. (RELATED: Mob Breaches Gate At Washington State Governor’s Mansion)
LANSING, MI – JAN. 06: Donald Trump supporters gather around the Michigan State Capitol Building to protest the certification of Joe Biden as the next president of the United States on January 6, 2021 in Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
Four people died during riots after the Stop the Steal rally in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, when supporters of President Donald Trump rioted and stormed the Capitol building, interrupting the certification of Electoral Votes to cement President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. The incident ultimately lead to the mobilization of additional National Guard troops and a citywide curfew.