The threat that led to a complete shutdown of the Los Angeles Unified School District Tuesday was likely a hoax. New York City officials received a similar threat, but determined that it was a hoax.
Early this morning, LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines said that the district had received a threat against “many schools.” Officials described it as a “credible terror threat.”
According to the New York Times, the threat came through an email sent to LAUSD board members, the Los Angeles Police Department said. It appears that the message, as well as the threat sent to New York City, was sent or routed through Frankfurt, Germany. The FBI is already investigating.
U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, who represents areas of Los Angeles, said that the person who wrote the email claimed to have “32 jihadist friends” with bombs, nerve gas and rifles and were ready to attack. He said that the email contained a noticeable error - the word “Allah” was not italicized and a devout Muslim or an extremist wouldn’t make that mistake, reports the NY Times. However, the email showed that the author might have had some knowledge of how the Los Angeles school system worked because the author referred to it by name.
“If it does turn out to be a hoax, it has cost millions of dollars and it’s outrageous,” U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, who represents other areas of Los Angeles, said, reports The Los Angeles Times. “And someone needs to be held accountable and brought to justice for it.”
Cortines has defended his decision, telling The Huffington Post that he was thinking about the recent attack in San Bernardino.
“It’s due to circumstances in neighboring San Bernardino … I as superintendent am not going to take the chance with the life of a student,” Cortines told the Huffington Post.