School threat tracked to Saudi Arabia
Guy 'friended' students online and called them
Updated: Thursday, 18 Nov 2010, 12:57 PM CST
Published : Thursday, 18 Nov 2010, 11:10 AM CST
ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) - Detectives traced a Round Rock school bomb threat back to a juvenile in Saudi Arabia who officials said not only communicated with students via Facebook but who also went as far as to call their cell phones.
Williamson's County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. John Foster said he 'friended' students from Deerpark Middle School on Facebook by lying and telling them he was local.
Round Rock ISD Superintendent Jesus Chavez also sent a note to parents saying the suspect threatened many students by calling their cell phones, in addition to making threats via Facebook.
His messages turned terroristic when he wrote to a student, "I'm going to blow up the school" according to Foster. Students who received the message told authorities.
After the suspect was "friends" with students on Facebook, officials said that gave the Saudi Arabian juvenile access to all of the students' Facebook "friends."
"Another disturbing component is the fact that our students have placed personal information on their Facebook accounts," said Chavez. "Students' e-mail addresses, phone numbers and personal pictures were available for the suspect."
Though Foster said the juvenile was never in the United States at the time of any of the threats, it launched a full blown investigation and evacuation of Deerpark Middle School and nearby Live Oak Elementary Tuesday morning.
As a precaution, school officials shuffled 1,600 students in 40 school buses away to two safe off-site locations. Students piled into the McNeil High School gym and the Performing Arts Center.
No explosives were found after bomb-sniffing dogs swept Deerpark Middle School, and both Round Rock schools returned to normal Wednesday .
Thursday, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office handed the investigation over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Note from superintendent sent to parents at 12:16 p.m. Thursday:
"Dear Round Rock ISD Parents and Guardians,
"As many of you know we had a situation earlier this week which required us to evacuate two of our campuses due to a bomb threat. This morning we have learned new information from the Williamson County Sheriff's Office which we feel benefit all of our parents and students.
"Authorities have identified a suspect in Tuesday's bomb threat and he does not live in the Austin area. The suspect was found in Saudi Arabia and the FBI will continue the investigation since there is an international component. The Sheriff's Office assures us that there is no threat to Round Rock ISD schools.
"What is disturbing about this situation is it may have been avoided if proper Internet safety had been followed. The Saudi Arabia suspect became Facebook "friends" with several of our students and from there had access to all of their Facebook "friends." Another disturbing component is the fact that our students have placed personal information on their Facebook accounts. Students' e-mail addresses, phone numbers and personal pictures were available for the suspect. The suspect was able to threaten many of our students via Facebook and by calling their cell phones.
"It is vital that our students understand the importance of being safe on the Internet. We need help from our parents to be vigilant in monitoring their child's social networking accounts and general Internet use while at home. For their safety, students should not place any personal information on the Internet and they should not accept "friends" online who they do not know. At school we teach our students Internet safety and we have systems in place that block social networking sites such as Facebook on all school computers. Here are additional safety tips that can help keep your child safe:
* Never give out any personal information to anyone on the Internet (including name, address, phone, age, friend's names, school location, etc.)
* Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with anyone you have met on the Internet.
* Parents should search and monitor their child's social networking accounts. Make sure your child's online "friends" are people they actually know.
* Always maintain access to your child's online account and randomly check his/her e-mail. Be upfront with them about your access and the reasons why.
* Make sure you understand how your children are using the computer, what Web sites they are visiting, and who they are communicating with online.
* Never upload (post) pictures of yourself, or your friends/family, on the Internet or send to anyone you do not know personally.
* Periodically check your child's cell phone use and text messages to see who your child is communicating with.
* For additional safety tips visit www.onguardonline.gov
"Please use this opportunity to speak with your child about Internet safety and we too will be revisiting these tips with our students during the school day. Thank you for your support of Round Rock ISD schools and by working together we can keep our students and schools safe.
"Sincerely,
Jesús H. Chávez, Ph.D.
RoundRock ISD Superintendent"
