Columbia-area police join nationwide scramble to respond to multiple bomb threats
Columbia Police officers scrambled Thursday as three bomb threats were called in across the city, according to the department.
Threats were made against 1530 Richland St., 2001 Assembly St. and 1812 Lincon St., all of which appears to be multi-use office space. The Lincoln Street building is near the Governor’s mansion. A threat was also made at the Township Auditorium on Taylor Street.
No hazardous materials or threats were found at any of the locations, including the Township, according to police.
A number of bomb threats were made across the nation, affecting businesses, schools, government offices and other locations, including The State’s sister paper, The Raleigh News & Observer, which had its newsroom evacuated because of a thrreat.
All of the threats were received through email, according to police. The emails were asking for a bitcoin payment.
Bitcoin is a digital currency that is often used on the dark web or in legally questionable transactions.
Columbia police also responded to a bomb threat at 1612 Marion Street at about 5:15 p.m. There was no word from police if any threat was discovered at that location.
“We’ve been in close communication with SLED and the FBI. This is a national threat so we’ve stepped up our posture,” Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said. “Be vigilant. If you see something, say something. We understand and appreciate that citizens are hypersensitive at this time.”
Lexington County Sheriff’s Deputies also responded to two bomb threats, according to a tweet from spokesman Capt. Adam Myrick. Deputies cleared both the 2100 block of Two Notch Road and the area of Kittiwake Drive and U.S. 1, and “no threats were detected.”
Richland County deputies were called to the 900 block of Brookwood Drive and the 600 block of Rosewood Drive to respond to bomb threats, according to a statement from the sheriff’s department. Both of those locations were cleared.
Both the FBI and the ATF released the same statement about the nationwide threats.
“We are aware of recent bomb threats made in cities around the country and remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to report suspicious activities that could represent a threat to public safety.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 4:12 PM.
