WASHINGTON – Public high schools in Washington, D.C., faced a fresh wave of bomb threats Thursday, despite the arrest of a teenager who is accused of making some of the previous threats. No hazardous materials were found.
Five high schools were evacuated and searched Thursday after receiving bomb threats over the phone.
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The new wave of threats came a day after seven high schools were evacuated due to identical threats, and several hours after police arrested a juvenile suspect accused of making Wednesday's bomb threats.
The Metropolitan Police Department announced Thursday morning on Twitter that a 16-year-old male had been arrested and “charged with Terroristic Threats in connection to multiple bomb threats yesterday.”
Thursday was the third consecutive day that a bomb threat forced the evacuation of a D.C. high school. On Tuesday, Dunbar High School was evacuated after receiving a bomb threat while Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, was visiting the school for an event.
Dunbar was also evacuated following another threat Wednesday, and two other high schools — IDEA Public Charter School and McKinley Tech High School — were evacuated both Wednesday and Thursday.
The fact that the bomb threats continued after the arrest indicates multiple actors, and possibly copycats. Police would not comment on whether the ongoing threats were coordinated in any way, saying only that they continue to investigate the issue in partnership with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
District of Columbia Public Schools spokesman Enrique Gutierrez said the school system “takes these threats very seriously” and was working with authorities to continue the investigation.