FBI probing bomb threats at schools in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton
Multiple schools all around Ohio, including in major cities like Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dayton, received bomb threats on Wednesday, with the local police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation looking into the threats to figure out the currently unknown reason why the schools were targeted.
Columbus Police Sgt. Joe Albert said that the officers responded to high schools that contacted them after receiving the bomb threats, adding that the threats appear to be related because “a very similar style message has been given for each one,” according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The news source reported that Gahanna Lincoln High School also received a bomb threat, which resulted in everyone being evacuated from the campus.
Columbus police told NBC 4 that Metro Early College High School and Columbus Alternative High School also received the threats. Additionally, schools in Dublin, Lancaster, Bexley, and Worthington school districts were also affected.
“Well, it’s certainly concerning, of course,” Bexley City School District spokesperson Carol Taylor told NBC 4.
News 5 Cleveland reported that schools in the Cleveland area also received bomb threats, with Rocky River High School the best-known example.
Schools in the Cincinnati area were also affected by the threats, including Mason City Schools, Cincinnati Public Schools, and Indian Hill Schools, according to WLWT5.
Cynthia James, Kettering Police Department public information officer, also told The Dayton Daily News that the Dayton Regional STEM School received a bomb threat.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost criticized the people responsible for the swatting calls while responding to NBC 4.
“It’s incredibly disruptive, and it’s dangerous,” he told the outlet. “People can get hurt. This isn’t funny. It’s not a prank, and if, as is likely when this is all sorted out, the perpetrators are identified, they’re going to go to prison. This is not fun and games.”
Yost added that these calls may be coming from overseas, citing past instances.
Spokespersons for the FBI offices in Cincinnati and Cleveland told 10WBNS that they’re aware of the threats, adding that, even though they don’t appear credible, the federal agents will still investigate the calls.
“The FBI is aware of a number of hoax threats in Central and Southern Ohio,” the FBI told 10WBNS. “While we have no information to indicate a credible threat, we are currently working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information.”
Gov. Mike DeWine previously said that the Clark County officers allegedly received bomb threats, calling to “get rid of Haitian” immigrants, many of whom are currently residing in Springfield.
DeWine’s deputy director of media relations, Dan Tierney, didn’t respond to the request for comment on whether the recent bomb threats are politically motivated in the same way that the previous bomb threats were.
