One arrested following school threats: Winnipeg police

Youth arrested following threat to high school A 13-year-old girl is facing charges after allegedly making an online threat towards a Winnipeg high school. Taylor Brock reports.

The Winnipeg Police Service is providing more details about three threats made toward two schools Monday and Tuesday, which resulted in the arrest of a 13-year-old girl.

The first two threats came in by email around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday saying harm would come to both Oak Park High School and Elmwood High School the next day, with police saying both were bomb threats.

Investigators met with both the Pembina Trails School Division and the Winnipeg School Division, and it was determined both schools would stay close as police investigated.

Police did not find any physical threats.

Const. Dani McKinnon with the Winnipeg Police Service said other law enforcement agencies in Canada have faced similar threats to schools in recent days.

“It's been determined that they are generating a malicious type of hoax, and so really they do want to incite panic,” she said, adding police are investigating Monday’s threats and no arrests have been made.

In another incident on Monday, police were notified of a 9:30 p.m. post on social media making threats to Elmwood High School for the next day.

Winnipeg police later confirmed they have arrested a 13-year-old girl in connection with that threat and she is facing a charge of uttering threats.

Investigators said the social media threat was unrelated to the two bomb threats from Monday and there is no safety concern for Elmwood High School.

Oak Park High School re-opened Tuesday, but Elmwood stayed closed for the morning, police said.

The Winnipeg School Division provided an update Tuesday saying students and staff would be able to return to class in the afternoon Tuesday.