Ankeny, Iowa police said they disarmed a live pipe bomb after a pair of dog walkers found it at a polling station as it was voted on Tuesday in local elections.
“Ankeny police officers were called to the Lakeside Center, 400 NW Lakeshore Drive, in reference to a suspicious device,” the city said Tuesday. “When officers arrived, they observed what appeared to be 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 squad of bombs and neutralized the threat.
Local police said they have no indication of who left the bomb pipe in the center and added that they have not received reports of other devices or threats to other polling stations.
Voting at the Lakeside Center stalled for about three hours during the incident, election officials said.
Rep. Cindy Axne
Cindy Axne: Democrats call for relief package to waive unemployment benefit taxes Iowa Democrats quarantine after staff test positive for COVID-19 On The Money: Biden calls Dems and urges big COVID invoice | Biden’s SEC choice of offside as the GameStop drama unfolds Bezos resigns as CEO of Amazon MORE (D-Iowa) said she was deeply concerned about the revelation.
“This threat to our elections is unacceptable and those responsible should be held accountable for this attempted violence against our democracy and its citizens,” Axne said in a statement. “I want to thank our police officers, first aid and local election officials who acted quickly to protect voters and workers from Iowa polls.”
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) praised local law enforcement for their timely response to the threat.
“Great job today @Polkauditorfitz, poll workers, law enforcement and all those involved in the safety of voters and the public. ” he tweeted, tagging Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald. “Thank you all. Real team effort.”
Since the 2020 presidential election, law enforcement officials have warned against the growing threat of political violence.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin due to an “increase in environmental threats in the United States.”
“The information suggests that some ideologically motivated violent extremists with objections 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,” it read. in the newsletter.
A poll conducted in February showed that 1 in 3 Americans believe violence is justified if American leaders do not protect the country.