While no bombs were eventually discovered, the majority of Connecticut’s congressional delegation reported receiving bomb threats at their residences on Thursday as they were ready to celebrate Thanksgiving.
In written remarks, Democratic Representatives John Larson, Joe Courtney, Jahana Hayes, and Jim Himes declared that they were the targets. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, was also targeted, according to his office, which told NBC News. Murphy was threatened, according to a report from the local CBS affiliate earlier Thursday.
“A bomb threat was made against Senator Murphy’s Hartford home on Thanksgiving, which seems to have been the result of a concerted effort by several members of Congress and public figures,” the senator’s spokeswoman stated in a statement.
Additionally, Larson made reference to the threats against his colleagues when he said in a statement that he was “grateful that my colleagues in the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, who received similar threats, are also safe.”
In a post on X, Hayes stated that police informed her Thursday morning that “they received a threatening email stating a pipe bomb had been placed in the mailbox at my home.” When state and local police reacted to the threat, Hayes stated they did not discover any “explosive materials” or bombs.
Hayes went on, “At this time the investigation is ongoing,” “I thank law enforcement for their swift attention to this matter, their actions demonstrate there is no place in our country for political violence.”
In a similar vein, Himes said in a statement on X that he received a bomb threat this morning, but that police had discovered “no evidence of a bomb.”
He also thanked police officers in the statement. “There is no place for political violence in this country, and I hope that we may all continue through the holiday season with peace and civility,” Himes added.
The congressman and his wife, Audrey Courtney, “extend their utmost gratitude to the law enforcement officers, whose response should signal to perpetrators that these types of threats will not be tolerated,” according to a statement released by Courtney’s spokesperson.
A request for comment from NBC News was not immediately answered by the FBI or the U.S. Capitol Police. A request for additional details regarding the events was forwarded by Connecticut State Police to the local police agencies that were the primary investigators of each threat.
Following Courtney’s threat, the Vernon Police Department issued a statement stating that “the incident remains under investigation and no charges have been filed at this time.”
Although a suspect has not been named, the Wolcott Police Department, which handled the threat against Hayes, is trying to track down the email that was used to transmit it, Chief Edward Stephens told NBC News. According to Stephens, his department is working with other agencies, including the state police.
Requests for response from other local police departments that responded to the incidents were not immediately answered by NBC News.
In January, the Capitol Police reported that it had looked into over 8,000 instances of threats against members of Congress in the previous year, including “concerning statements and direct threats.”
Compared to the previous year, when the agency looked at over 7,500 threats, that figure was higher. We do not yet have the final 2024 numbers.
The most recent threats against lawmakers follow bomb and “swatting” threats against a number of people in President-elect Donald Trump’s projected administration on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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