15 Year Old Arrested After Ghent School Threat

A 15-year-old student has been arrested after a bomb threat and warning about a possible shooting at a provincial school in Ghent, East Flanders prosecutors said.

The threats were discovered Friday morning when teachers opened the school’s Smartschool system. Police were quickly called, and about 850 students from three school departments were evacuated to the nearby STAM museum.

Police searched the school buildings and classrooms with dogs but found nothing suspicious. The evacuation was completed safely, according to Kurt Moens, East Flanders’ education official.

Classes were canceled for the rest of the day, and students were allowed to go home around noon. The school buildings were cleared by about 3 p.m., but the school will remain closed Saturday.

Police later arrested a 15-year-old student from the school after an investigation identified him as a suspect. He will be questioned by police. Authorities have not yet determined his possible motive.

Officials also said there is no connection between the threats and the recent controversy over the school’s headscarf ban, which took effect earlier this month.

Investigators believe the threats may have been sent from a student’s account that was hacked. However, Smartschool has not confirmed that an account was compromised. The company said it had received no report from the school indicating a problem with its systems.

Part of a nearby HOGENT campus was also included in the security area, leading to the evacuation of several dozen people. The campus was relatively quiet because the academic year has not yet started.