Second bomb threat reported at Illinois hotel housing Texas Democrats

(The Hill) — A second bomb threat was reported at the Illinois hotel housing Texas Democrats who fled their state over the weekend, local police reported Friday.

The St. Charles Police Department said in a press release that they had responded to a report of a possible bomb threat at 8:32 a.m. on Friday at the Q-Center.

“The St. Charles Police Department, in coordination with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad and the Explosive Detection K-9 Unit, conducted a thorough search of the area. No explosive device was found. The area has been secured by authorities, and all 70 hotel guests are safe,” the department said. 

“This morning’s secondary threat occurred two days after the initial bomb threat was reported to police by the Q-Center on Aug. 6,” the department continued. “In both instances, no explosive devices were found, and the designated areas were deemed safe. As a continued precaution, the St. Charles Police Department has increased patrols in the area since the initial report.”

The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for the Texas House Democrats for comment and St. Charles Police Department for additional details.

Texas Democrats had to evacuate their hotel earlier this week due to another bomb threat, though no devices were found and those inside were unharmed.

But the events underscore concerns of rising threats of political violence, particularly in light of the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker in June.

Texas Democrats fled the state to stop Republicans from trying to pass a new set of GOP-friendly House maps, but the Texas GOP is threatening that there will be consequences and further moves to vacate lawmakers’ seats if they don’t show up later Friday for their special session.