More threats in Springfield, Ohio: ‘We need help, not hate,’ mayor says

More threats in Springfield, Ohio: ‘We need help, not hate,’ mayor says A new round of bomb threats have targeted three medical facilities and an unspecified fourth facility in Springfield, Ohio, on Saturday, officials said. Springfield Regional Medical Center, Ohio Valley Surgical Hospital and Kettering Health Springfield were listed by authorities as targets. Two elementary schools were evacuated and a middle school was closed on Friday in the wake of a threat sent via email in Springfield, according to the school district and the mayor. It’s unclear if the person who sent Friday’s threat is the same person who sent Thursday’s, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News. On Thursday morning, bomb threats were sent via email “to multiple agencies and media outlets” in the city, according to the city commission office. Explosive-detecting K-9s helped police clear multiple facilities listed in the threat, including two elementary schools, City Hall and a few driver’s license bureaus, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott told reporters. The FBI is working with local police to help identify the source of the threat, Elliott said. The mayor said he believes these threats are directly connected to the baseless rumors spread online in the wake of viral social media posts claiming Haitian migrants were abducting people’s pets in Springfield order to eat them. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said at Tuesday night’s presidential debate. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” A spokesperson for the city of Springfield told ABC News these claims are false, and that there have been “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals in the immigrant community.” “Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes,” the spokesperson said. The mayor added, “Your pets are safe in Springfield.” Springfield estimates there are around 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the county; migrants have been drawn to the region because of low cost of living and work opportunities, according to the city. The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned the “baseless and inflammatory” claims about Haitian migrants, arguing they “not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly Black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti.” Mike DeWine, who dispelled the rumors this week, said the state would send more resources to Springfield. The mayor stressed, “Anybody on the national stage that takes a microphone, needs to understand what they could do to communities like Springfield with their words. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/bomb-threat-reported-multiple-buildings-springfield-ohio/story?id=113619803