SAN DIEGO -- A threatening email that shut down Los Angeles schools on Tuesday also included threats of an attack on San Diego.
The email warned: "If you cancel classes, the bombings will take place regardless, and we will bring our guns to the streets and offices of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Bakersfield, and San Diego."
More than 650,000 Los Angeles Unified School District students are back in class Wednesday after more than 1,500 schools were searched.
Investigators have determined that the threat was not credible.
The threats were not specifically directed toward San Diego County schools, and San Diego Sheriff's Department spokesperson Jan Caldwell told 10News, "It was early on deemed without merit. We were as confident as you can be there was not a threat to San Diego."
However, some parents wish they'd known. Ricardo Rodriguez said, "Maybe there's a protocol, but my son went to school and it would have been nice to know; what I mean is it would be my choice to have kept him home with mom. They should have notified us. They have our email, phone numbers, work phone, so it would be my choice to send the kids or not."
Caldwell said if the threat had been credible, the information would have been released to the public instantaneously.
"We always err on the side of caution with public safety and we did not believe we needed to take action yesterday. We promise we will if it comes to that," she said.
The San Diego County Office of Education issued the following statement:
"Some media are reporting there was a threat to San Diego schools, which is inaccurate. The threat made to LAUSD does not call out local schools. In fact, the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center notified us yesterday that there weren't any credible threats to the San Diego region. Additionally, we had no reports from any of our districts of any threats made directly to our schools."
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said:
"Unlike Los Angeles and New York City, a threat was not sent to San Diego officials. The email, which focused almost entirely on Los Angeles, referred to San Diego in passing along with other Southern California cities. The San Diego Police Department and San Diego Unified school police did not believe the message posed a credible threat, but in an abundance of caution provided extra patrols at local schools. San Diego law enforcement will continue to coordinate with state and federal officials and remain vigilant."
Full text of the email:
To Whom It May Concern:
I am emailing you to inform you of the happenings on Tuesday. 12/15/15.
Something big is going down. Something very big. It will make national headlines. Perhaps, even international ones. You see, my last 4 years here at one of the district high schools has been absolute hell. Pure, unmitigated, agony. The bullying, the loneliness, the rejection ... it is never-ending. And for what? Just because I'm 'different'?
No. No more. I am a devout Muslim, and was once against violence, but I have teamed up with a local jihadist cell as it is the only way I'll be able to accomplish my massacre the correct way. I would not be able to do it alone. Me, and my 32 comrades, will die tomorrow in the name of Allah. Every school in the L.A. Unified district is being targeted. We have bombs hidden in lockers already at several schools. They are strategically placed and are meant to crumble the foundations of the very buildings that monger so much hate and discrimination. They are pressure cooker bombs, hidden in backpacks around the schools. They are loaded with 20 lbs. of gunpowder, for maximum damage. They will be detonated via Cell Phone. Not only are there bombs, but there are nerve gas agents set to go off at a specific time: during lunch hour. To top it off, my brothers in Allah and I have Kalashnikov rifles, Glock 18 Machine pistols, and multiple handheld grenades. The students at every school in the L.A. Unified district will be massacred, mercilessly. And there is nothing you can do to stop it.
If you do end up trying to, by perhaps, beefing up security, or canceling classes for the day, it won't matter. Your security will not be able to stop us. We are an army of Allah. If you cancel classes, the bombings will take place regardless, and we will bring our guns to the streets and offices of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Bakersfield, and San Diego.
I wish you the best luck. It is time to pray to allah, as this may be your last day.
