Ohio city at center of pet eating rumor receives bomb threats

• A bomb threat was issued to "multiple facilities throughout Springfield," the city said in a social media statement. It's unclear whether the threats are connected to the conspiracy theory.
• Local officials have said there is no evidence or reports of anyone eating pets, and Vance acknowledged in his post on X that "it's possible" the rumors will turn out to be false.

Driving the news: City officials were informed of the threat via an email sent to multiple agencies and media outlets, the statement said.

• Springfield's city hall was closed as a precautionary measure, and local officials are investigating the threat.

Zoom out: Trump and Vance have continued to push the pet-related claim even after city officials said it was false, and have drawn backlash from officials in the Biden administration for sharing the rumor.

State of play: Springfield has experienced a population surge due to immigration, the city's website said.

• Clark County's immigrant population is estimated to be 12,000 to 15,000 people, or about 11% of the general population of 134,831 recorded during the 2022 census.

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