US Agriculture Department closes six offices after threats

Washington, Aug 31 (IANS) The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday temporarily closed six offices in five US states after receiving anonymous threats.

According to the US TV network CNN, the anonymous messages received by the department late Monday were about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities, Xinhua news agency reported.

The affected offices are in Fort Collins, Colorado; Hamden, Connecticut; Beltsville, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; Kearneysville, West Virginia and Leetown, West Virginia.

Details of the messages were not available at the moment and White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday the department was working closely with the Department of Homeland Security "to ensure the safety of their offices and the personnel that work there."

"When it comes to the safety and security and US personnel, military or civilian, we take that quite seriously," said Earnest here during the daily briefing.