In a safety notice sent by email, the N.C. State University Police said they “take all threats seriously and are working with local, state and federal officials to investigate the credibility of the email threat”. “As a precaution, USDA has closed offices”, USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said in an emailed statement.
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Officials chose to close six offices after getting “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.
The Raleigh office, located at 4407 Bland Road, employs about 50 people, according to the USDA website.
Dougherty said the emailed threat did not name the facility specifically, and was similar to, or the same as, electronic threats sent to other facilities.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaking last week in Washington.
The offices closed cover seven USDA agencies in addition to APHIS: the Agricultural Research Service, the Food Safety Inspection Service, the Forest Service, the National Agricultural Library, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Office of the Inspector General and USDA departmental management. He did not go into further detail about the nature of the threats, but asked his employees to report any suspicious activity.
“They (security officers) were checking to make sure everyone was out and told us to leave”, the employee said.
The temporary closures may affect some tourists. There was a sign on the door stating that it was closed and the Forest Service tweeted that it would be closed due to safety concerns.
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WNCN CBS North Carolina contributed to this article.
