The city of Springfield, Ohio, closed city hall after receiving bomb threats against multiple properties.
Springfield has received national attention in recent days after Donald Trump’s campaign and right-wing Republicans spread false social media rumors that Haitian immigrants in the area were eating local pets, a claim with no evidence to back it up.
City officials said in a Facebook post Thursday that they received the bomb threat warning via email at 8:24 a.m., which was sent to “multiple agencies and news outlets.”
“The building has been evacuated as a precautionary measure and officials are currently conducting a thorough investigation. Our primary concern is the safety and health of our employees and residents. We are working to address this situation as quickly as possible,” city officials said.
They added: “While the investigation continues, we ask local residents to avoid the area surrounding City Hall and to report any suspicious activity to the Springfield Police Department. We appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation as we resolve this case.”
Trump also referenced the conspiracy theory during Tuesday night’s debate with rival Kamala Harris, repeating the inflammatory falsehood, saying, “In Springfield, they’re eating dogs, they’re eating people who come in, they’re eating cats … they’re eating the pets of the people who live there.” His actions drew waves of anger and ridicule.
The same day, J.D. Vance addressed the rumor on X, which had posted a slew of AI-generated images of Trump surrounded by dogs, cats and ducks, some of which appeared to be armed and guarding him.
Meanwhile, at a Springfield City Commission forum on Tuesday, Aiden Clark, the father of an 11-year-old boy who was killed last year when a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant crashed into a school bus, called on Trump and Vance to stop using his son’s name for “political gain.”
“They can spew all the hate they want about illegal immigration, the border crisis and even false claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by local residents, but they are not allowed to mention Aiden Clark of Springfield, Ohio, and never have been allowed to,” Clark said.