Police in Abbotsford have issued a warning about a series of social media posts and emails claiming acts of violence will take place at various schools and daycare on Monday.
Officers became aware of the online threats circulating among parents and the wider community on Sunday evening, said the Abbotsford Police Department in a statement Monday morning.
A screenshot of such an email circulating on social media details a threat to “commit one of the most violent attacks in the history of Abbotsford” by its sender.
The email claims “each and every school” listed as recipients will be targeted, mentioning firearms and “multiple devices” that will be used during the attack. The event will be live streamed, warned the email.
Police said they are taking the threat of violence “seriously” and are currently investigating where the messages came from, yet there is “no information to suggest that this threat is real.”
It comes after numerous “swatting” calls were investigated over the weekend, which falsely claimed that violence was taking place and people were in danger, said police.
“Each call was assessed and responded to by AbbyPD, and all were determined to be false,” the statement said.
The most recent school claims are believed to be another swatting attempt.
In a statement released Monday, the Abbotsford School District said its Safe Schools team was “actively following established internal protocols” in collaboration with the AbbyPD.
“Additional safety measures are also being taken, such as the locking of exterior school doors, and heightened supervision at every school,” it said.
“We take all threats to the safety and well-being of our students and staff extremely seriously.”
The district said the schools remain open, but families are encouraged to make the decision that feels best for them as to whether a student attends or remains at home.
“As with any critical incident, counselling support is available to both students and staff who may need it, the statement said.
“We remain committed to maintaining safe and caring learning environments and will continue to keep our school communities informed as needed,” the district said.
Mounties in Langley issued a similar warning Monday morning of an email containing “concerning language” threatening potential acts of violence.
“We are closely working with the Abbotsford Police Department to thoroughly investigate these reported threats. At this time, there is no information to indicate that the threat is credible,” said Langley RCMP Sgt. Zynal Sharoom.
