BCA: More than 30 swatting incidents reported targeting schools, Jewish facilities

Nearly three dozen Minnesota schools and Jewish facilities were the targets of swatting incidents Wednesday involving threats of shootings or bombings, state investigators said.

Swatting involves provoking a law enforcement response to a particular location by reporting a fake threat.

According to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, at least 25 schools and nine Jewish facilities reported receiving such threats via email, none of which turned out to be real.

The BCA said the language of the threats was almost identical, and investigators have so far found no connection between the incidents and the person and address specified in the emails.

BCA spokeswoman Jill Oliveira said the threats were scattered throughout the Twin Cities metro and Greater Minnesota alike.

A building in Bemidji was the target of one of those threats, but Oliveira said it had no relation to a threat made against a Bemidji Public Schools staff member on Wednesday that caused the school district to switch to remote learning for the day. A minor was arrested for his alleged involvement in that case.

It did not appear other states were experiencing such threats Wednesday, the BCA said.

The BCA’s Minnesota Fusion Center continues to investigate the situation alongside local law enforcement agencies.