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MI Capitol swept following bomb threat

Courtesy Michigan.gov

The Michigan Capitol re-opened this morning after being closed for a little more than two and a half hours due to a bomb threat.

The threat was phoned in around 6:40 a-m, said Michigan Capitol operations director Rob Blackshaw.

“We immediately turned it over to the Michigan State Police," said Blackshaw. "Unfortunately, working in this building, this isn’t the first time we’ve received a bomb threat and, unfortunately, it probably won’t be the last.”

The state police said in a statement the building was swept electronically and by a K-9 unit before it was declared safe for legislators and staff with clearance to enter. The Capitol is closed to the general public when the Legislature’s not in session due to COVID-19 health restrictions.

In April, a group of protestors – many with guns and tactical gear -- swarmed the Michigan Capitol while the Legislature was in session. Some were later implicated in an alleged plot to storm the building and to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer.