Swatters Target Over 30 Minnesota Schools and Jewish Centers Wednesday

(KNSI) – On a day when a campus shooting in Las Vegas dominated the headlines across the country, the threat of such an incident tied up law enforcement here.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says 25 schools and nine Jewish facilities were targeted by swatters on Wednesday across the state. The agency says none of the incidents turned out to be legitimate.

Swatting means that someone makes fake threats to generate a huge law enforcement response. It can be dangerous as police have to treat anyone they meet as potentially violent while at the same time people at the home or facility targeted are not expecting to be caught in the middle of a raid, which affects how they react to the situation.

The bombing and shooting threats were made by email and the BCA says the content of each is nearly identical. The agency did not list which school districts were affected.

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