ST PAUL, Minn. — State officials announced that the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State received a suspicious package and the office was evacuated Friday afternoon.
The FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota State Patrol are investigating the incident.
According to a news release, the package was addressed to the office with a return address to the "United States Traitor Elimination Army."
The Minnesota Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing the state's elections.
According to a 2023 news release, the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State temporarily relocated to the Veterans Service Building last December "while construction is underway at the State Office Building. Construction is expected to last through 2026."
KARE 11 has learned about two dozen people were evacuated around noon Friday.
"What we're seeing this year is not something we've seen in the past," said University of Minnesota politics professor Larry Jacobs. "It is a higher level, it is more daunting, and for election officials, it is terrifying."
Jacobs said threats on election officials took off during the 2020 election.
"We are seeing around the country the kind of protection for election offices, particularly during the counting of ballots, that you would associate with a military base," Jacobs said. "Double fencing, metal detectors, even police snipers. This is to count ballots."
Former Democratic Minnesota State Senator Jeff Hayden said these threats are deeply concerning.
"There's fewer and fewer people in the middle, and I think that that polarization on the fringes really creates kind of a disdain for the process," Hayden said.
On the other side of the aisle, Minnesota Republican House Leader Lisa Demuth said there is no place for political violence, and that both sides should denounce any forms of it.
State officials said several other Secretaries of State and state election officials received similar suspicious packages earlier this month.
There was no confirmation if the package had a suspicious white powder like in the other states.
"Threatening election officials is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated," Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a statement. "Our democracy depends on public servants who must be able to perform their duties free from fear, intimidation, or harassment. This action is not deterring our work or determination to deliver another election that is free, fair, accurate, and secure. We will work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the person or persons responsible for this action are held accountable."
In a social media post, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison linked the suspicious package to political intimidation.
"Political threats, intimidation, and harassment have no place in our elections or our society," Ellison wrote in a post on X. "This kind of act is unacceptable. Those responsible must be held accountable."
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.