RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Pat McCrory said the firebombing of the Republican Party headquarters in Orange County, North Carolina, is not vandalism, it’s an attempt at anarchy.
JUST IN: GOP HQ near Durham firebombed & vandalized. Now, there's a warning to other GOP offices statewide. @ElsaWSOC9 is investigating. pic.twitter.com/il9Px7y7m9
— Liz Foster (@lizfostercooper) October 16, 2016
PHOTOS: GOP headquarters firebombed and vandalized
The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 16, 2016
He is hopeful the State Bureau of Investigation will be able to help local authorities catch whoever was responsible for the attack and prosecute them.
State and federal agents said they believe someone threw a flammable liquid through a window in the building.
Officials released the 911 call Tuesday morning.
A business owner next to the GOP office called 911 and described seeing smoke coming from the building and said it had been firebombed. The caller also said vandals also sprayed graffiti on the side of their building.
Listen to full 911 call made after GOP office attack
The fire destroyed nearly everything inside and represented an unprecedented escalation in the war of words that has characterized this years’ elections.
Political expert Eric Heberlig said the political fallout will be substantial.
“What I’ll be interested to see, is whether this changes the tone of the presidential candidates, if they try to dial it back a little bit,” Heberlig said.
Donald Trump didn’t seem to dial things back.
In a tweet, he blamed the firebombing on "animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina.”
A group of Democrats crowdfunded $13,000 to help Republicans reopen this firebombed NC office. They raised the money in 40 minutes. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/P1cgPSzoO9
— Mark Barber (@_MarkBarber_) October 17, 2016
At the same time, Democrat Hillary Clinton called the attack “horrific and unacceptable.”
Mecklenburg County GOP chair Claire Mahoney told Eyewitness News that security at the local party headquarters is being stepped up.
“We’re just pumping that up and taking steps we need to help keep our volunteers safe,” she said.
Mahoney said there’s no indication of any threat locally, but the images of a charred flag and burned out building in Hillsborough are a sobering example of political passions run amok.
“Both parties see the real risk of things going off the rails here, “Heberlig said. “Neither side wants violence nor do they have any political incentive to have violence.”
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Cox Media Group