Police arrest 15-year old for making social media threats against DC schools

[September 21, 2024]  BY ASHRAF KHALIL

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police on Friday arrested a 15-year-old boy on charges related to threats on social media that prompted an increased police presence at multiple schools in Washington, D.C.

Parents at several different Washington schools were notified Thursday by public school administrators of “threats being made on multiple platforms targeting various high schools throughout the District.”

 A Washington Metropolitan Police vehicle is seen near the Capitol, Oct. 19, 2022, in Washington. Police on Friday arrested a 15-year old boy on charges related to threats on social media that prompted an increased police presence at multiple schools in the nation's capital. The Instagram post showing a firearm and a list of D.C. schools prompted police to station officers at several different schools on Thursday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Simultaneously, the Metropolitan Police Department announced that it was “actively investigating an anonymous threat made to local schools.”

A police spokesman told The Associated Press that there were no reported incidents Thursday at any of the local schools.

On Friday afternoon, police announced the arrest of a teenager in neighboring Brandywine, Maryland. The announcement said Thursday's security alert was prompted by “an Instagram post displaying images of weapons alongside a list of D.C. schools.”

The teenager was charged with threats to kidnap or injure a person.

The investigation, which involved the FBI's Washington field office, revealed that the teenager was not actually in possession of any firearms and had found the image of the weapons online, according to police.

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