Republican headquarters in North Carolina’s Orange County has been firebombed, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Police said on Sunday that a bottle of flammable liquid was thrown through the front window of the office and that the words "Nazi Republicans get out of town or else" were spray painted on a nearby building.
Police told WNCN in Charlotte that "The flammable substance appears to have ignited inside the building, burned some furniture and damaged the building’s interior before going out."
"This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community’s safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation," Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens said in a statement.
The North Carolina Republican Party released a statement calling the incident a “hate crime” and said they would increase security at events and offices.
State GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse told Fox News Channel that all state offices are being asked to close by sundown and to take extra security measures. A mobile bus is being brought in to replace the burned-out office, he said.
"I think the scariest part is the bomb hit a couch and a chair where they sit down, and it is by grace of God nobody was there," he said. "The office is a total loss. Voter lists and everything. But that is not the important thing. The important thing is nobody was killed.
The act is intended to intimidate, Woodhouse said, telling the Observer it was an act of "political terrorism."
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clilnton condemned the act in a tweet, though her Republican rival Donald Trump put the blame on her supporters.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.