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Shooting threat at 4chan leads to arrest, closure of over 20 Dutch schools

Shooting threat at 4chan leads to arrest, closure of over 20 Dutch schools

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4chan
4chan

Authorities have quickly made an arrest after an anonymous threat posted to 4chan this weekend warned of an imminent school shooting. "Tomorrow, I will shoot my Dutch teacher, and as many students as I can," read the message — posted days after a terrorist attack rattled the US. Even more troubling, an attached photo seemingly shows off the gun and ammunition meant to be used in the mass show of violence. The post even goes so far as to reveal a target. "It's a school in a Dutch city called Leiden." That specificity led local authorities to keep thousands of students home Monday, according to Agence France-Presse. The individual behind the 4chan message said he would be carrying a note explaining his actions, and said a friend would publish the letter if authorities opted not to share it publicly.

Thankfully despite the perpetrator's insistence that the "police is not gonna find me before tomorrow," it didn't take long for authorities to make their first arrest — a former pupil reportedly expelled in 2011 over bad behavior. Sadly, previous threats posted to the popular website have turned out to be more than words. Earlier this month, minutes before opening fire in a crowded Virginia mall, a gunman outlined his plans on 4chan.