Wave of bomb threats plague dozens of schools in US and UK

Bomb threats prompted lockdowns and evacuations in dozens of elementary and high schools across the US and UK, leaving classes to be resumed only after police failed to find any explosives or other dangerous items.

The threats led to the evacuations of schools in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin.

Media outlets in the United Kingdom also reported evacuations at dozens of schools up and down in that nation.

Some officials described the calls received as automatic or robotic. Schools in Denver and Minnesota received their threat just before noon local time on Monday, with another school in Minnesota receiving theirs around 12:15 pm.

“We have let all law enforcement know we are ready to help, should they need our assistance,” said Deborah Sherman, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who also said in a statement that the agency is monitoring the situation.

“There is no doubt these calls drain public safety resources and can prevent and delay responses to actual emergencies,” she added.

Students were sent home at Murray High School outside Salt Lake City while bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in. No explosives were found.

Officials told the Associated Press the threats could be the latest examples of so-called “swatting” against schools. In recent months, hoaxers playing online games have allegedly used proxy servers and other high-tech identity-disguising tools to anonymously threaten schools online or in phone messages, using electronic voices to trigger a huge police response, even SWAT teams.

Six schools were evacuated in Delaware. Several school administrators described the threat as being made by a male voice.

"It is believed that this automated threat is connected to several others received by schools throughout the state of Delaware," Cpl. Brian Donner, a spokesman for Smyrna Police Department, told Delaware online.

Delaware state police, however, said it's unknown whether these bomb threats are related to a string of calls received across the state in January and early February.