Illinois Secretary of State Condemns Bomb Threats Targeting Libraries

Illinois' Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, D, has released a statement condemning the recent string of bomb threats targeting libraries in the state.

"As the State’s Librarian, I strongly condemn these threats of violence and intimidation that are unfortunately becoming all too common at libraries in Illinois and across our nation," Giannoulias said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The secretary of state's comments come after authorities evacuated the Stephens Davis Branch Library on Monday for serval hours after a bomb threat that was later discovered to be unfounded.

"The bomb threats received by Illinois libraries during the past several days represent a troublesome and disturbing trend that has escalated from banning books, to harassing and criminalizing librarians and now to endangering the lives of innocent people," he continued.

Giannoulias related the recent string of threats to books bans happening across the nation. In June, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law making the state the first in the nation to outlaw books bans.

"We are not saying that every book should be in every single library," Giannoulias said that the time. "What this law does is it says, let’s trust our experience and education of our librarians to decide what books should be in circulation."