Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Pa. lawmakers return to work following mass email threats and weekend evacuation of Capitol

An anonymous email address sent a bomb threat to every member of the state legislature on Saturday evening, “in the name of Palestine,” per the email shared with The Inquirer.

The Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg. The building was evacuated Saturday after a mass email threat was sent to state lawmakers.
The Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg. The building was evacuated Saturday after a mass email threat was sent to state lawmakers.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

HARRISBURG — Members of the Pennsylvania legislature returned to work Monday, following two email threats over the weekend that led the Capitol building to be evacuated on Saturday.

An anonymous email address sent a bomb threat “in the name of Palestine” to every member of the state legislature on Saturday evening, according to the email shared with The Inquirer. It came ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to Harrisburg on Sunday.

Capitol Police evacuated the building, which was largely empty as lawmakers had gone home for the weekend while legislative leaders continue to negotiate a budget deal.

The threat was also made against the Pennsylvania Judicial Center, which houses the state’s appellate courts and was closed for the weekend.

“I plan on triggering one device every few hours until Joe Biden goes on national television and publicly denounces the illegitimate state of Israel,” the email to lawmakers stated. “Keep in mind I am inside one of the 2 buildings armed w/ a knife, and plan on remaining here to my dying breath!”

The Capitol was evacuated for five hours Saturday evening while police investigated the threat. Law enforcement found no explosives during a K9 search of the perimeter, and they continue to investigate alongside other law enforcement entities, a spokesperson for Capitol Police said.

A second mass email was sent to legislators Sunday evening, with a threat to shoot Biden, as well as slurs. It was sent just as Biden was boarding his flight back to Washington after his trip to Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

“Good luck catching me! LOSERS,” wrote the author, who claimed to be the same person who wrote the Saturday threat.

Eric Veronikis, a spokesperson for the Department of General Services that oversees Capitol Police, said police notified the FBI and Secret Service of the Sunday email.

Veronikis said that there is no active threat to the state Capitol Complex and that law enforcement will continue working with state, local, and federal officials “to keep the Capitol complex safe for all employees and visitors.”

Lawmakers returned for a legislative session Monday to complete a budget deal, which is overdue. The new fiscal year began July 1.