Russia was behind false bomb threats in Georgia and other states that briefly closed polling stations in some Democratic-leaning areas Tuesday, an escalation in tactics aimed at sowing fear and suppressing votes, federal and local officials said.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed Tuesday a bomb threat was made against a polling place, but he said it was of Russian origin and not credible. Raffensperger later clarified in a subsequent press conference that the threat affected between five and seven precincts in multiple Georgia counties.