VALDOSTA — The Valdosta Daily Times received a bomb threat Thursday via an email sent to individuals, businesses and organizations across North America.

The Times and at least five other CNHI newspapers were included in the threat.

An email was sent to a Times employee demanding $20,000 in Bitcoin or a bomb would be detonated. The email claimed there was someone watching the building and said there were more bombs in other businesses that would go off.

“There is the bomb (tronitrotoluene) in the building where your company is located,” the email stated. “You transfer me $20’000 in Bitcoin and explosive will not explode, but don’t try to cheat.”

The email was sent about noon, but wasn’t opened until about 4 p.m.

Once the threat was discovered, the entire Times staff was evacuated from the building located at 201 N. Troup St.

The Valdosta Police Department was immediately notified and quickly arrived at the scene. The area around the building was blocked off with no one allowed in or out.

After about an hour, a bomb-sniffing dog was brought to the scene. Bomb personnel checked vehicles and the parking lot before entering the building.

Police later declared the building safe, and staff was allowed to go back inside about 5:40 p.m.

Jeff Masters, Times publisher, said, “We take our employees’ safety seriously and have protocols in place to be prepared for these kind of events.”

VPD Lt. Adam Bembry said a business at the 100 block of McKey Street and at the 800 block of Patterson Street received a similar email.

Bembry said those businesses were cleared earlier in the day with no injuries reported. He could not confirm the Valdosta emails were connected to the similar threats made across North America.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256