POLICE descended on a Corringham secondary school after a viral threat to ‘shoot up’ a school circulated on social media.
The threat, worded as if written by a pupil, claimed a school under the acronym GHS would be victim of a shooting spree on December 17.
Pupils at Ortu Gable Hall School passed the social media message onto staff who alerted police shortly before 11am today (December 17).
The school was placed into lockdown as Essex Police rushed to the scene.
Parents anxiously gathered outside the gates as they waited for more than hour to learn if their children were safe.
The origin of the threat has since been traced to the USA, where police departments in California, Utah, Connecticut, and Texas are scrambling to ascertain whether a school in their state was in danger following posts on TikTok.
“Y’all might take this as a joke but I’m being serious. I am so tired of this school and all the teachers who don’t care and I am so tired of all the bullying im am [sic] so tired of everything on December 17 I will shoot up the school,” the viral threat said.
The threat spreading online
“Earlier today a student located a cutting from a newspaper article in the USA which had the initials ’GHS’ on it and today’s date, along with a threat,” an Ortu Gable Hall School spokesperson said on Friday.
“This cutting was passed round by social media between students who reported it to staff. As with all incidents of this nature, we followed procedure and involved the police. No one was ever in any danger.”
An Essex Police spokesperson said: "Units were immediately sent to the scene to ensure the safety of staff and pupils.
"Our investigations have determined this was a hoax and there is no threat to the school."
Social media giant TikTok says there is no evidence the threats originated on the app in response to US media outlets reporting the threat had been made as part of an 'online challenge'.
A spokesperson for the company tweeted: "We handle even rumoured threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we're working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok."
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