13-Year-Old Accused of Making Bomb Threats

(LibertyInsider.org) – Authorities in Southampton, United Kingdom, arrested a 13-year-old boy on Wednesday, June 26. They suspect the teen caused the closure or evacuation of six different schools on Tuesday for bomb threats.

Police are withholding the minor’s name and identifying information. The six schools threatened included Banister Park School, Bitterne Park School, Weston Secondary School, St Anne’s Catholic Girl’s Secondary School, Regents Park Community College, and Saint George Catholic College. Police notified headteachers of the threats at the institutions early on Wednesday.

Boy, 13, is arrested on suspicion of making series of bomb hoaxes that closed six schools https://t.co/OfABULIwqJ pic.twitter.com/151Y4VFEmX

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 27, 2024

In some cases, headteachers emailed parents, asking them not to bring students to school. In others, they evacuated classes. Saint George’s headteacher, James Habberly, told parents the school received a bomb threat called into the reception office around 8:15 a.m.

He and the staff evacuated the students to ensure their safety, keeping them outside in the shade with access to water and toilet facilities while police investigated. Habberly told parents that police “confirmed the bomb threat [was] a hoax.”

Superintendent Phill Lamb, the Southampton constabulary’s district commander, said it was clear to him that “the incident had a wide-ranging impact within the community.” He was grateful that officers quickly established and communicated that the threats weren’t “credible.” He thanked local law enforcement agencies, the community, and the schools for their cooperation and patience.

Sadly, similar incidents have occurred around the world. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, police arrested five teens between April and May for alleged bomb threats at high schools and junior high schools in the area. The suspects ranged in age from 13 to 16 years old.

Halifax police said they had received 26 separate bomb threats between April 1 and May 15, each requiring investigation. None of the threats were credible.

Police in the western French city of Renne arrested a 13-year-old boy from Laval in January for allegedly making over 380 bomb threats to universities, courthouses, tourist attractions, and airports across France. According to a prosecutor, the teen admitted he viewed the activity as “a game.”