'Copycat' Threats Keep Schools On Edge After Campus Shooting

Apr 24, 2007 3:18 PM

The FBI says that law enforcement agencies across the nation have received numerous "copycat" threats against schools since the April 16 Virginia Tech shooting, according to CNN.com.

The FBI logged nearly a dozen school threats last week in the three days following the shooting.

Schools in New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, California, Washington and Texas were among those receiving threats.

The bureau says authorities are doing everything they can to figure out who is responsible.

One student was arrested at Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way, Wash., after a parent phoned in a tip, according to Debra Stenberg, spokeswoman for the Federal Way Public School System.

The parent had received a text message from her daughter that she believed a student was carrying a gun. The school resource officer and the school principal confronted the student in a hallway and found the student was carrying three handguns and extra ammunition.

The school was locked down, and students were held in class for about an hour before they were dismissed.

A second student was searched but not taken into custody, Stenberg says.

While investigations are ongoing, none of the threats have been deemed credible so far, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told CNN Thursday.

About half of the reports, which have included threats to carry out shootings and bombings, were aimed at colleges, and the other half at other types of schools, officials say.

One man, Cristobal Fernando Gonzalez, was arrested Wednesday in San Diego for making a false threat against students at San Diego State University, the U.S. Attorney's Office reports.

A criminal complaint alleges Gonzalez, a Web designer, admitted to the FBI that he posted an online threat to drum up business to his Web site.

"People should not consider this a joke, and it needs to stop," Kolko says. "These threats are abhorrent, and those that make them will be subject to prosecution and significant prison time. Each threat is fully investigated by the FBI with other federal, state and local partners."

"Although it is a drain on resources, every threat is taken seriously. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the authorities," he adds.

Kolko says the "wall-to-wall media coverage" of the Virginia Tech shootings "could certainly be a factor in some of the copycat threats. It is possible the coverage could inspire others seeking publicity or attention."

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