On Friday, federal authorities evacuated all federal buildings in Portland after reports of a car bomb threat. The FBI is investigating the threat.
“The FBI is aware of recent reporting regarding threats made against federal buildings in Portland,” the FBI’s Portland field office said in a statement. “We are investigating to determine the credibility of the threat, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to share information.”
The Bankruptcy Court cited a “threat of violence in the area” as the reason for its shutdown, The Oregonian reported. A source with knowledge of the situation told the paper that federal authorities received a threat that a vehicle filled with explosives would hit a federal building. It remains unclear if the threat involved a specific building.
The source also told The Oregonian that the Standard Insurance and Standard Plaza buildings had been evacuated on Friday morning.
The threat came after the 84th night of violent riots in Portland. In the name of pursuing justice for George Floyd, rioters have fired explosives at the federal courthouse, set fire to the police union, attempted to burn down a police precinct with officers inside, and turned the entrance of the ICE building into a war zone.
On Thursday night, rioters attempted to break into the ICE building. When federal officers came out, rioters threw rocks and bottles at them, shined lasers to blind them, and launched commercial-grade fireworks at them. They also set dumpsters on fire. The riot continued into the morning.
Overnight on 20–21 Aug, antifa attacked the Portland @ICEgov building again. They vandalized the front & started fires on the street that blocked a road near a hospital. When officers responded, they were hit w/rocks, paint, glass bottles & more. https://t.co/6KI77EGoew pic.twitter.com/TYtyqk94oy
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 21, 2020
Antifa rioters have repeatedly used allied vehicles filled with weapons and explosives to supply their lawbreaking, so this reported threat seems tragically par for the course.
Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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