Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office evacuated due to suspicious package

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Secretary of State’s Office in Minnesota was evacuated on Friday after receiving a “suspicious” package, officials say. 
The office was evacuated around 12 p.m. and employees still haven’t returned to the office. 
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the package was addressed to “election admin” with a return address to the “United States Traitor Elimination Army.” 
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon released this statement following the evacuation: 
This comes on the tail of several other secretaries of state and state election officials having received similar suspicious packages. 
The Associated Press reported powder-containing packages were sent to secretaries of state and state election offices in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming, citing officials in those states. The secretaries of state for Colorado, Connecticut and Indiana also reported that they had received similar packages. 
CBS News reported that election officials say threats are escalating due to a “heightened state of anxiety” around the 2024 presidential election.