World News | US Buildings Closed in Portland After Car-bomb Threat
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. At least two federal buildings in Portland have been closed and the FBI is investigating after a car bomb threat was made, the officials said Friday.
Portland (US), Aug 22 (AP) At least two federal buildings in Portland have been closed and the FBI is investigating after a car bomb threat was made, the officials said Friday.
The threat, which was received Thursday, warned of the intention to use a car bomb to target federal property in Portland, according to two law enforcement officials. A number of federal offices in the area have been closed because of the threat, the officials said. The officials could not discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Also Read | China Floods: Three Gorges Dam, World’s Biggest Hydroelectric Station, Nears Capacity.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the threat is credible, the FBI said in a statement.
The Portland office of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court was closed because of a threat of violence in the area, according to the court's website. Also closed was the Mark O. Hatfield Federal courthouse, which was the site of weeks of violent protests last month.
Also Read | Nepal to Allow International Flights From September 1 Amid Rise in COVID-19 Cases.
Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Oregon's largest city nightly since the May police killing of George Floyd and clashed repeatedly with federal agents dispatched to protect the courthouse. A statement on the courthouse website did not say why the building had closed.
The FBI's statement said: “If we develop information indicating a credible threat, we will notify the public.” Protesters this week have focused their ire on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland.
People in a group of about 100 late Thursday and before dawn Friday sprayed the building with graffiti, hurled rocks and bottles at agents and shined laser lights at them, Portland police said in a statement.
Agents set off smoke or tear gas and used crowd-control munitions to try to disperse the crowd, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Three people were arrested, police said in their statement.
It wasn't clear if that building was included in the alleged threat or if the threat was connected in any way to those protests. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)