Anonymous threats sent USDA employees at six offices in five states home Tuesday, after the department announced it would be closing the offices until further notice.
The department made the decision to close the offices after “several anonymous messages that are concerning for the safety of USDA personnel and its facilities,” Matt Herrick, a spokesman for the department, said in a statement.
According to The Associated Press, the closed facilities are in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; Kearneysville, West Virginia; and Leetown, West Virginia.
These facilities include offices for eight USDA agencies, including the Forest Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Among the sites affected was USDA’s sprawling agricultural research center and library in Beltsville, where employees were informed of the threat this morning and sent home.
Herrick said the department is working with the FBI and law enforcement to determine whether the threats are credible.
