Dozens of Florida school districts were targeted by fake bomb threats on Tuesday night, prompting an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to officials and multiple reports.
In a statement shared on social media, Citrus County Schools Police Chief Rachel Montgomery said 46 districts across the state received the same message. According to a report by WFTV, the emails claimed that bombs had been placed in schools and demanded payment in Bitcoin.
Montgomery said the emails did not include specific details or direct threats to any individual school campus.
“There is no indication that this is a credible threat to our schools. We wanted to inform our parents directly to prevent the spread of rumors or misinformation,” Montgomery said. “We are taking the message seriously and working closely with local and state law enforcement to get the matter thoroughly investigated.”
Local law enforcement officers are working with federal authorities to investigate the incident, WFTV and WESH reported.
The Martin County School District told WPTV that Superintendent Michael Maine was among those who had received a threat.
“We are working with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office to increase patrols today across our district at all our schools,” officials said in a statement. “We appreciate our family’s partnership in remaining alert, practicing the ‘see something, say something’ rule, and helping to ensure the continued safety of our schools.”
St. Lucie County schools were also implementing extra security protocols on Wednesday, WPTV reported.
“Based on initial reports, it appears as though this email is a hoax and there is no credible threat to schools,” officials said. “Out of an abundance of caution, however, the District is maintaining heightened vigilance in and around our schools. This includes increased patrols and close coordination with local law enforcement partners.”
The School Board of Highlands County also released a statement about the threats and indicated they were similar to ones sent across the state in the past.
“This appears to be a non-credible, generic threat that was sent to numerous school superintendents and officials throughout the state of Florida, and is not specific to Highlands County,” the school board said. “We do not believe this threat to be credible whatsoever.”
No additional information was available. The FBI did immediately return Patch’s request for comment.