HEIGHTENED TENSIONS

Man Claiming to Have a Bomb Sets Fire in Spokane County Democratic HQ

The man “detained” at least one person in the building but eventually surrendered, according to police.

A bomb threat at their party’s headquarters had Democrats in Spokane shaken up on Wednesday. A man walked into the building Wednesday morning and allegedly handed a manifesto to a volunteer. He was carrying a backpack with wires sticking out and temporarily “detained” one of the volunteers as the rest immediately fled, local police said. The intruder claimed he wore a bomb and lit a small fire in the office, according to The Seattle Times. The man eventually released the volunteer and surrendered to authorities. Police are now looking into whether the device the man was carrying was indeed an explosive. No one sustained “significant injuries,” police said.

Local radio station KXLY is reporting Spokane County Democrats chair Nicole Bishop and Washington State Democrats chair Tina Podlodowski released a joint statement alleging the incident was politically motivated. “We urge every elected official and community leader to join us in condemning this apparently politically motivated act of violence,” they wrote. “No one should have to fear for their life simply because they participate in our political process.”