http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/us/north-carolina-gop-building-is-firebombed.html 2016-10-17 00:24:28 North Carolina G.O.P. Building Is Firebombed Graffiti painted nearby depicted a swastika and the warning, “Nazi Republicans leave town or else.” === A firebomb tore through the The party posted images on Twitter of the damaged building in Hillsborough, N.C., on Sunday afternoon that showed blackened walls, charred couches and burned campaign signs for Donald J. Trump and several local candidates. A window was broken, and a swastika was spray-painted nearby alongside the words “Nazi Republicans leave town or else.” The bombing occurred at a tense moment in American politics, just three weeks from Election Day and near the end of a divisive presidential campaign that has seen deepening hostility and suspicions between supporters of Hillary Clinton and those of Mr. Trump, On Sunday, the Hillsborough police said the fire had been caused by a firebomb thrown through a window of the office, which is in a shopping center about 14 miles outside Durham. The damage was not noticed until Sunday, when a business owner called the authorities around 9 a.m., the police said. Gov. Pat McCrory said in a statement that no one had been injured. “This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community’s safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation,” Mayor Tom Stevens of Hillsborough said in a The Hillsborough police said they were investigating the attack along with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In a “The office itself is a total loss,” he said. “The only thing important to us is that nobody was killed, and they very well could have been.” “Whether you are Republican, Democrat or independent, all Americans should be outraged by this hate-filled and violent attack against our democracy,” he added. “Everyone in this country should be free to express their political viewpoints without fear for their own safety.” Mr. McCrory, a Republican, condemned the bombing as “an attack on our democracy.” “Violence has no place in our society — but especially in our elections,” he said in his statement. “Fortunately no one was injured; however, I will use every resource as governor to assist local authorities in this investigation.”