WESTFORD, Mass. — In 2018, Lori Trahan became a member of one of the most exclusive clubs in the country, after winning election to the U.S. House.
Saturday morning, the 3rd District Democrat reluctantly joined another group: One of seven members of Congress from the Northeast recently facing a bomb threat.
Police responded to Trahan’s Westford home but, unsurprisingly, found no bomb. Which is usually the way it goes.
“The one thing that’s pretty consistent is that if someone is intent on using explosives, since the mid-seventies, late seventies, no one has called to let you know,” said Boston 25 Security Analyst Dan Linskey.
That is reflected in the most recent Explosives Incident Report, assembled by the Department of Homeland Security.
It shows the number of bomb threats increasing dramatically over the last three years -- rising nearly four-fold to 3,203 threats last year. Yet, the number of actual explosions has remained relatively stable during the same period, averaging 200 - 300 per year.
Despite these statistics, law enforcement has no choice but to respond to bomb threats -- especially given instructions for making homemade bombs can easily be found online,
“We don’t want to get a dozen of these fake calls that are coming in and we start to be complacent about it and then the thirteenth one is legitimate,” Linskey said.
What kind of person would target elected officials? Linskey said it could be someone upset about loss of a federal benefit or a piece of legislation or a vote. But it could also simply be somebody who is mentally ill.
“And this is their way through social media and the deep and dark web for them to reach out and feel they’re relevant,” he said. “by targeting and threatening people they might disagree with.”
After police cleared Trahan’s Westford home of explosives, the Congresswoman took to X to express her thanks to law enforcement. Then, she added, “It’s a good time to state the obvious, that threats of violence and intimidation have no place in our country.”
Unfortunately, however, it seems they have found a place.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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