Olympia Bomb Threats Unrelated To Suspicious Packages: WSP

OLYMPIA, WA - Officials do not believe bomb threats made against various state buildings in Olympia in recent weeks have any connection to suspicious packages sent to politicians on Wednesday. So far, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, the Manhattan office CNN, and others have received packages containing potential live explosives.

Washington State Patrol PIO John Shaffer told Patch Wednesday there are "zero connections" between three recent bomb threats in Olympia to the East Coast suspicious packages.

One key difference: the threats made against state buildings were done via phone.

Here's a recap of the recent threats made against state buildings:

• On Sept. 26, someone called in a bomb threat to the Highway and Licensing building, which is located west across Capitol Way from the Capitol. State patrol swept the building with K9 units, but never found any suspicious devices. The building was evacuated following the threat.
• On Oct. 18, the Highway and Licensing building was placed on lockdown due to suspicious activity. At the same time, a suspicious package was reported near the Temple of Justice, which is the building just north of the Capitol. Police searched both locations, but never found any suspicious people or suspicious devices.
• On Oct. 24, a state Department of Health office in Tumwater was evacuated after a bomb threat.

President Donald Trump made brief remarks about the devices sent to Clinton, Obama, CNN, and liberal philanthropist George Soros, who on Monday received an explosive device via mail.

"In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together," Trump said. He added that acts or threats of political violence "have no place in the United States of America."

Read more on this unfolding situation here.

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch