The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Portland office is investigating several hoax threats emailed to synagogues, schools and airports this week.
On Monday, bomb threats triggered evacuations at several schools across Oregon, including the Central Linn, Cascade, Colton, Corbett and Arlington school districts. Many students who evacuated their schools Monday were able to return to class on Tuesday.
The Crook County School District on Wednesday said it, too, received an emailed bomb threat, but it wasn’t immediately discovered because it went into a spam folder. The district’s technology department found the email Tuesday morning, and it determined its system filtered the message because of the domain — nerdmail.co — along with the username: “iwillgougeyoureyesout0.”
“Students and staff were never in danger, and law enforcement confirmed it was not a credible threat,” the district wrote in a statement, adding that staff will now monitor spam folders more closely. “We know that even a hoax threat like this can cause concern for families, so the district supports families who want to keep their children home.”
In a written statement, the FBI said it is also investigating threats emailed to houses of worship and airports. The agency did not name which locations were impacted.
Some Oregon synagogues have received emailed threats, including Congregation Beth Israel in Portland, according to Rabbi Michael Cahana.
The FBI office said so far it has not found information indicating that these threats are credible, but it will continue working with local law enforcement agencies to determine if they are connected.