Police in Ankeny, Iowa, say they disarmed a live pipe bomb after it was found by a pair of dog walkers at a polling station as a vote was taken in a local election on Tuesday.
“Ankeny police officers were called to Lakeside Center, 400 NW Lakeshore Drive, in connection with a suspicious device,” the city said Tuesday. When officers arrived, they saw what looked like a pipe bomb. The Lakeside Center was used today as a polling station for the Ankeny Community School District special election and officers immediately evacuated the building. ”
Once called to the scene, police said they deployed a bomber and neutralized the threat.
Local police said they have no clues as to who left the pipe bomb at the center and added that they have not received reports of other devices or threats to other polling stations.
Voting at the Lakeside Center was halted for about three hours during the incident, election officials said.
Rep. Cindy Axne
Cindy AxneDemocrats Calls for Aid Package to Waive Unemployment Benefit Taxes Quarantine Iowa Democrat After Staff Officer Tests Positive For COVID-19 On The Money: Biden Calls Out Dems, Urges Big COVID Bill | Biden’s SEC pick sidelined as GameStop drama unfolds | Bezos is stepping down as CEO of Amazon MORE (D-Iowa) said she was very concerned about the revelation.
“This threat to our elections is unacceptable, and those responsible must be held accountable for this attempted violence against our democracy and its citizens,” Axne said in a statement. “I would like to thank our law enforcement officers, first responders and local election officials who have acted quickly to protect voters and polling stations in Iowa.”
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) praised local law enforcement for their timely response to the threat.
Well done today @Polkauditorfitz, pollsters, law enforcement officials and anyone involved in ensuring the security of voters and the public, ” he tweeted, tagging Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald. “Thanks to everyone. Real team performance.”
Since the 2020 presidential election, law enforcement officials have warned of the growing threat of political violence.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin about an “elevated threat environment in the United States.”
“Information suggests that some ideologically motivated violent extremists who object to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence,” the bulletin said. .
A poll in February found that 1 in 3 Americans believe violence is justified if US leaders fail to protect the country.