Minnesota schools and Jewish sites receive fake bomb, shooting threats

At least 34 schools and Jewish facilities in Minnesota received fake bombing and shooting threats in what the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Wednesday appears to be coordinated swatting incidents.

Local law enforcement responded and found that "none of the threats have turned out to be legitimate," the BCA said in its statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter. The language used in the messages is "almost identical" in each one, the BCA said.

Twenty-five public schools and nine Jewish facilities reported receiving messages as of 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

A BCA spokesperson said the threats were reported in Aitkin, Anoka, Bemidji, Brainerd, Champlin, Circle Pines, Columbia Heights, Crosby, Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Frazee-Vergas, Fridley, Mendota Heights, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Rochester, Spring Lake Park, St. Francis and Anoka County.

The BCA did not specify which schools and Jewish sites were targeted. No arrests were made as of 5:15 p.m., a BCA spokesperson said.

The BCA has not said what the messages' content was, other than that they listed a person's name and address. Investigators found the person had no known involvement in the swatting incidents.

Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said "we are aware of the situation, and are working in coordination with law enforcement."

He declined to comment further or say if JCRC received one of the false threats.

Other states are not reporting similar widespread swatting attempts Wednesday, the BCA said in another post.

The bureau reminded students and communities to notify law enforcement and school resource officers about suspected threats to schools, and to contact the BCA through its app, See It, Say It, Send It.