Montgomery County police: Threats against schools ‘non-credible’

The Montgomery County, Maryland, police said on Friday that the online threats that mentioned a school shooting and bombing were “non-credible.”

The police added that the former Montgomery County public Schools student who made the threats no longer lives in the U.S.

MCPD became aware of threats made to a Montgomery County Public School. The investigation determined that threats from a former student were non-credible, and the former MCPS student no longer lives in the United States. #Mcpnews pic.twitter.com/DY9EYdq5AA

— Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews) February 4, 2022

The social media threats were similar in style and content, and included racist and antisemitic comments, the school system said Thursday. The posts used offensive language. They made references to weapons planned to be used and one school — Wheaton High School — was mentioned.

The police had determined on Thursday that the validity of the threats was “low-level,” a schools statement.

Parents were notified about the threats.

Police and Montgomery County Public Schools said they will continue to monitor social media and actively investigate any specific threats.

“The community is encouraged not to share these messages online but to report any such threats to local law enforcement,” MCPS said.

Schools will be part of Montgomery County police’s regular patrols on Friday.

If you or your child becomes aware of a student who has a weapon or is planning to hurt themselves or others, call the police and the school administration. You can also report anonymously to the Maryland SafeSchools tip line at 833-MD-B-SAFE.

WTOP’s Juan Herrera contributed to this report.