A Virginia primary school that hosts the After School Satan Club was evacuated Tuesday after a bomb threat, leaving parents demanding the group be removed.
(Video: WVEC)
Early Tuesday at the B.M. Williams Primary School in Chesapeake, Virginia first responders arrived on the scene while children were ushered out of the building in response to an email. The threat called out the After School Satan Club which recently began holding meetings at the elementary school, decrying the organization by saying, “you are evil, there is no other way to put it.”
According to WAVY news which obtained a copy of the email, it also read “You promote devil worship and unIslamic values.”
By 11:30 a.m., the investigation was ongoing in the school leading a spokesman to reach out to parents and inform them, “Early this morning, we received an anonymous email with a bomb threat. The Fire-Marshal and Chesapeake Police Department were immediately contacted to investigate the concern. As an additional precaution, students were evacuated while the building was assessed. Unfortunately, the building assessment is taking longer than initially anticipated. As a result, we will have an early dismissal at 12 p.m. today and all after school activities will be canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Police would not comment on a specific motive for the threat as their own statement read, “A motive for the threat is uncertain but language in the email appears to give reference to an After School Satan Club which recently held a meeting at the school.”
However, WVEC had reported that the email also contained threats to a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union, the school superintendent Jared Cotton and an organizer with the After School Satan Club, who all confirmed that they were unharmed.
The outlet spoke with frustrated parents outside the school and one Chesapeake mom said, “School leaders need to fix it, they need to stop it, and get them away from the school.”
Another said, “This is a hassle, this is a lot, to be worried about your children’s safety over a club is unnecessary.”
Meanwhile, the club, which had overcome challenges to their ability to hold meetings at the school, was defended by Lucien Graves, co-founder of The Satanic Temple who described the purpose as meant to “educate children and encourage critical thinking.”
Authorities were unable to locate any evidence of a bomb on or near the premises of the school and Chesapeake Assistant Fire Marshal Steven Bradley explained, “Some of these emails are extremely difficult to trace, some of them are untraceable, so that is something we will have to work out with our partners.”
Though there is no evidence to show the incidents were connected, at the same time that the elementary school was being investigated, The Satanic Temple in Salem Oregon was also reported to be evacuated after staff received a similar email that, according to Salem News read, “We placed a bomb in the Satanic Temple in Salem. In the name of Allah we will kill all you satanic degenerates.”
The situation was cleared within a few hours.
- San Diego County Sheriff will not adhere to Board of Supervisors ‘super sanctuary’ policy - December 11, 2024
- DeSantis draws competition when he advises Daniel Penny to come to Florida ‘to get his life back’ - December 11, 2024
- Megyn Kelly blasts WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark for ‘self-flagellation’ over white supremacy myth - December 11, 2024
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.