When students arrived at Ville Platte High School Thursday morning, they did so to a campus with an increased police presence and increased security measures as they entered the school through the gymnasium.
The heightened sense of security was due to threats received at the school on the previous afternoon.
According to a press release from the Evangeline Parish School Board, “At 3:05 p.m. (on Wednesday, December 12) the principal at Ville Platte High School received an anonymous online threat regarding that campus.”
The release continued, “Law enforcement officials were immediately informed and were actively investigating the matter. Additional measures were put into place by our law enforcement partners and school officials to ensure the safety and security of Ville Platte High School’s faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders.”
The law enforcement officials on site Thursday morning included the city marshal office, Evangeline Parish Sheriff office, Mamou Police Department, as well as the Ville Platte Police Department.
Ville Platte Police Chief Neil Lartigue said in a press release, “Someone on campus received an Instagram message threatening to harm everyone. Officers, detectives, and myself canvassed the surrounding area of the school and interviewed multiple people. The investigation is ongoing and assistance is being provided by the Louisiana State Police.”
Later that afternoon, the Evangeline Parish Courthouse was evacuated after the clerk of court’s office received an email about a bomb located somewhere in the building.
According to the same press release from Chief Lartigue, the incident at the courthouse took place at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. “The building was evacuated as a safety precaution, and officers and detectives responded to the Evangeline Parish Courthouse and set up perimeter security. The Louisiana State Police has been in contact with the agencies and stated there was a mass email that was sent out across the state of Louisiana to many judicial agencies, schools, and businesses. The Louisiana State Police is investigating the incident.”
Chief Lartigue referenced the other similar email bomb threats which were received the same day around the nation and the state including 13 in Acadiana. Of the 13, threats were made to LUS Fiber and the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and to Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Opelousas.
It was learned by authorities on Thursday evening the threats were nationwide robo-email bomb threats. According to KLFY-TV in Lafayette, the email read as follows exactly as it was written:
“Hello. My recruited person carried the bomb (tronitrotoluene) into the building where your business is conducted. My mercenary constructed an explosive device under my direction. It is a small and it is covered up very carefully, it can not damage the structure of the building, but if it explodes you will get many wounded people. My recruited person keeps the building under control. If any unnatural behavior, panic or cop is noticed the bomb will exploded. I would like to suggest a transaction. You pay me 20.000 $ in BTC (bitcoins) and the device will not explode, but don’t try to fool me- I guarantee you that I will withdraw my mercenary only after three confirmations in blockchain network.”
“You have to pay me by the end of the workday, if the working day is over and people start leaving the building the bomb will explode. Nothing personal this is just business, if I do not receive the money and an explosive device detonates, other companies will transfer me a lot more, because this isnt an isolated incident. For security and anonymity reasons, I will no longer enter this email. I monitor my Bitcoin wallet every 25 minutes and if I receive the payment I will order my mercenary to leave your district.”
“If an explosion occurred and the authorities read this email! We arent terrorists and do not take any liability for explosions in other places.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the investigation and issued the following statement, “We are aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety.”
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TONY MARKS Associate Editor