Police in Abbotsford say they have found no evidence to back up the credibility of a mass email and social media post that threatened local schools with violence.
The email and posts were sent out on Sunday (April 6) from a person, “Havard,” who said he was from Abbotsford but of “Indian origin” and that he would be targeting local schools on Monday, April 7.
“I will be armed with an AR-15 that I have gotten snuck into from the US as well as many other firearms. I have also placed multiple devices around each and every school included in this email that will go off accordingly,” the message stated.
“Havard” also stated he would livestream the activity on various online platforms.
A second anonymous social media post that was circulated stated that bombs had been placed “from floor 1 to floor 3” at Abbotsford Senior Secondary.
Sgt. Paul Walker, media officer with the Abbotsford Police Department (APD), said at a press conference Monday morning (April 7) that investigators have determined the threats are not real and there is no risk to students.
He said he can't get into the specifics about the investigation, as police work to determine who is responsible for sending the messages.
"I want to stress again that there is no credible threat that we have been able to determine of violence today in our school system," Walker said.
He said police are looking at connections between the online messages and a series of about six "swatting" incidents that occurred at local homes throughout the weekend, which falsely claimed that violence was occurring and that people were in danger.
Walker said there are similarities in all of the incidents and police believe the same individual or group is responsible, but finding the culprit(s) can be challenging.
"The phone number might be 'spoofed.' It might be bouncing off of various internet platforms or IP stuff, and that's the stuff that takes a little bit of time to unravel. It's lengthy on the investigative side, but I can say our investigative team is actively pursuing and following those leads," he said.
Langley RCMP have also reported local residents receiving the online messages, with investigators there also saying the threats are not credible and fall into the realm of "swatting."
Walker said the APD is working in partnership with the Langley RCMP in their investigation.
The Abbotsford school district also responded to the online posts and emails, with superintendent Sean Nosek stating that the APD had found no evidence “to suggest the threat is credible.”
“Based on their review, we are confident that there is no known risk to our schools, students or staff. The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority,” Nosek stated.
An emailed statement later sent out said that the district's Safe Schools team is following "established internal protocols."
"Additional safety measures are also being taken such as the locking of exterior school doors and heightened supervision at every school," the district stated.
" ... All schools remain open, but as always, families are encouraged to make the decision that feels best for them."
