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Los Angeles schools shut over 'threat' Los Angeles schools shut over email threat to students
(about 1 hour later)
Los Angeles schools have been closed as an unspecified threat is investigated, police have said. Los Angeles schools have been closed as an unspecified threat emailed to the school district is being investigated.
Officials would not specify the nature of the threat, which led to students being sent home and school buses returned to depots. The threat against the second largest school system in the US led to 640,000 pupils being told to stay away, while school buses were returned to depots.
A school district spokesman said it involved rucksacks, and they were exercising "an abundance of caution".A school district spokesman said it involved rucksacks, and they were exercising "an abundance of caution".
The district is the second largest in the US, with 640,000 students attending more than 1,000 schools. New York City officials said they received the same threat that closed LA schools but concluded it was a hoax.
Police are searching all the schools, which will remain closed until the threat is over, officers told reporters at a press conference. The city's police commissioner, William Bratton, said an emailed threat came from overseas, purporting to be from jihadists, but was not considered credible.
He said he thought Los Angeles officials overreacted.
The email is believed to have come from an IP address in Frankfurt, Germany, said district spokeswoman Shannon Haber.
The Los Angeles Unified School District has more than 1,000 schools, which were all being searched.
"Earlier this morning we did receive an electronic threat that mentions the safety of our schools," said Steven Zipperman, chief of the Los Angeles school police department."Earlier this morning we did receive an electronic threat that mentions the safety of our schools," said Steven Zipperman, chief of the Los Angeles school police department.
"We have chosen to close our schools today until we can be absolutely sure that our campuses are safe.""We have chosen to close our schools today until we can be absolutely sure that our campuses are safe."
An unnamed police official told Associated Press news agency the threat was emailed to a school board member and was thought to have come from overseas. The threat comes amid a heightened alert after 14 people were killed by a radicalised Muslim couple in San Bernardino, 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
It comes amid a heightened alert after 14 people were killed by a radicalised Muslim couple in San Bernardino, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. "I think it's important to take this precaution based on what has happened recently and what has happened in the past," said district superintendent Ramon Cortines, who learned of the threat early on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Unified School District
"I think it's important to take this precaution based on what has happened recently and what has happened in the past," said district superintendent Ramon Cortines.
"It was not to one school, two schools or three schools. It was to many schools, not specifically identified. But there were many schools. That's the reason I took the action I did... It was to students at schools.""It was not to one school, two schools or three schools. It was to many schools, not specifically identified. But there were many schools. That's the reason I took the action I did... It was to students at schools."
When asked what was meant be "electronic" threat, he said simply that "it was a message".When asked what was meant be "electronic" threat, he said simply that "it was a message".
Los Angeles Unified School District
Officials are notifying parents to keep children at home or pick them up.
Lupita Vela, parent of an eight-year-old daughter who attends school in the district, told the AP news agency she was "terrified" getting the announcement, especially following the San Bernardino attacks.
She wants her daughter to feel safe at school, she said.
Another parent of a LAUSD student, Elinor McMillan, said she's a "nervous wreck".
In a separate incident, classes were also cancelled at San Bernardino Valley College on Tuesday due to a bomb threat made on Monday afternoon.In a separate incident, classes were also cancelled at San Bernardino Valley College on Tuesday due to a bomb threat made on Monday afternoon.
Are you in the area? Are you affected by the issues in the story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences.Are you in the area? Are you affected by the issues in the story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences.
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