Officials: Bomb threats in South Florida, other U.S. locations appear to be hoax

Bomb threats sent Thursday to dozens of schools, government buildings and other locations across the U.S. appear to be a hoax, authorities said.

Law enforcement agencies across the country said the threats were meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money and are not considered credible.

They were written in a choppy style reminiscent of the Nigerian prince email scam.

In South Florida, the threats were reported from the Florida Keys to Palm Beach County.

“We are aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance,” the FBI in Miramar said.

“As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety.” The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday afternoon that it was monitoring “multiple bomb threats that have been sent electronically to various locations throughout the county.”

The agency said the threats were not considered credible “at this time.”

Across the country, some schools closed early and others were evacuated or placed on lockdown because of the hoax. Authorities said a threat emailed to a school in Troy, Mo., was sent from Russia.

The bomb threats also prompted evacuations at city hall in Aurora, Ill., the offices of the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., a suburban Atlanta courthouse and businesses in Detroit.

“Organizations nationwide, both public and private, have reported receiving emailed bomb threats today,” Michigan State Police spokeswoman Shannon Banner said. “They are not targeted toward any one specific sector.”

Penn State University notified students via a text alert about threats to a half-dozen buildings and an airport on its main campus in State College, Pa. In an update, the school said the threat appeared to be part of a “national hoax.” Officials at Columbine High School in Colorado were dealing Thursday with a bomb threat of a different sort. Students were being kept inside for the rest of the school day after someone called in a bomb threat against the school. The Jefferson County, Colorado, Sheriff’s Office said the caller claimed to have placed explosive devices in the school and to be hiding outside with a gun. There is nothing to validate the threat was found at Columbine, where 12 students and a teacher were killed by two students in 1999, according to Sheriff’s spokesman Mike Taplin. Two dozen other Colorado schools were also temporarily placed on lockout, meaning their doors were locked but classes continued normally, as the threat was investigated.