Authorities announced they have arrested and charged a 16-year-old boy with sending bomb threats to predominantly Black high schools in Washington, D.C. last Wednesday.
According to NBC News, one of the schools that was targeted was hosting second gentleman Doug Emhoff for a Black History month event when the threat came in. Police said threats were sent to four public high schools and four charter schools, and some of the schools ended up being evacuated.
Authorities also said the schools that received the threats were ultimately “cleared with no hazardous material found.” Per data released by the D.C. School Report Card’s website, the majority of the schools that received the bomb threats have a predominantly Black student population.
Dunbar High School, which is regarded as the first educational institution for Black Americans in the United States, was one of the schools targeted. And the threat came while the school was hosting Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris. The second gentleman had to be evacuated from the building as a result. Authorities, however, said it did not seem the 57-year-old was the target. They did not also specify if the incident was racially motivated.
This recent incident also comes after a string of bomb threats were sent to multiple historically Black colleges and universities, Face2Face Africa reported. In the wake of the threats that were sent, the FBI announced it had identified six “tech savvy” juveniles as persons of interest.
On February 1 – which was the first day of Black History Month – bombs threats were sent to more than twelve historically Black colleges and universities, NBC News reported. An official also said the juveniles sending the threats appeared to be “tech savvy”, adding that they were employing sophisticated techniques in an attempt to conceal where the threats were coming from. The official said the threats seemed to be racially motivated.
Responding to the recent threats in a statement last Wednesday, Harris said the FBI was investigating the case. “Americans have a right to be safe at work, in houses of worship and at school,” she said.
“The FBI is investigating threats made against our historically Black colleges and universities and houses of worship. We must stand up against any threat of violence in our communities.”
