DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Public Safety has determined a threat made to the Iowa State Capitol building is "not credible".
Iowa State Patrol received information about a potential threat to the building around 12:45 p.m. Saturday. The threat was made on social media.
Iowa DPS assessed the threat and determined it was not credible. However, in the interest of safety, public safety officials swept the building and were unable to find any threat. The building was cleared at 1:30 p.m.
Sgt. Alex Dinkla tells Local 5 the threat "was general in nature and did not reference any person or group."
The Iowa Democratic Black Caucus was set to host an event in the Iowa Capitol Rotunda at 2 p.m. celebrating the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. receiving a Nobel Peace Prize. Chair Al Womble said when he arrived to set up for the event, no one was being allowed in the building.
While the group was able to move their event to a different location, Womble said the incident echoes some of the same struggles faced by racial justice organizers throughout history.
"This same type of thing happened to people during the 1960s, when they were fighting for civil rights and social justice, which we're celebrating Dr. King for today," Womble said. "You know, bomb threats were called in on people, people were threatened with violence continuously."
As of Saturday afternoon, all normal activities at the Capitol have resumed.