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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| US election: Republican office in North Carolina vandalised | US election: Republican office in North Carolina vandalised |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| A Republican Party office in North Carolina has been damaged by fire, and a nearby building spray-painted with a slogan against the party, police say. | |
| A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight, the party said. | A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight, the party said. |
| No-one was hurt, but a security alert was sent to other offices, said state Republican director Dallas Woodhouse. | |
| "Nazi Republicans get out of town or else," was written on the building. | "Nazi Republicans get out of town or else," was written on the building. |
| Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said in a tweet the attack was "horrific and unacceptable". | Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said in a tweet the attack was "horrific and unacceptable". |
| But the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, appeared to blame Democratic supporters for the attack. | |
| "Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP," he said on Twitter. | "Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP," he said on Twitter. |
| Mr Woodhouse said the bottle landed near a sofa where volunteers often take naps. | |
| "They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed", he said, calling the fire an act of "political terrorism". | |
| Local police said they were investigating the incident alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. | Local police said they were investigating the incident alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. |
| Tom Stevens, the Democratic mayor of the town, Hillsborough, condemned the act in a statement. | Tom Stevens, the Democratic mayor of the town, Hillsborough, condemned the act in a statement. |
| "This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalising property; it wilfully threatens our community's safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation," he said. | |
| North Carolina is a key battleground swing state that has been visited by Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump four times each in the last month. | |
| President Barack Obama campaigned for Mrs Clinton last week in the state, which he narrowly won in 2008 and lost by two points in 2012. | |
| Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton are locked in a tight race in the Tar Heel state, with polls showing the Democrat with a less than 3% lead. |