Interpol alerted Niagara police about online school threat that turned out to be girl’s ‘attempt at humour’
Posted November 19, 2024 4:42 pm.
A 15-year-old girl from St. Catharines was lucky to avoid serious charges after investigators say she made an online threat towards a school on Snapchat that was later deemed to be a joke.
Officers attended Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School on Linwell Road in St. Catherines on November 19 at around 10:00 a.m. after Snapchat contacted Interpol about an apparent online threat, which was then relayed to Niagara police.
“Snapchat had alerted Interpol after a St. Catharines-based user made a threatening post towards a school while in the possession of an apparent weapon,” a Niagara police release stated.
Officers quickly found the girl and arrested her for uttering a threat.
Following an investigation, detectives said the threat was not credible and was instead “an attempt at humour gone terribly wrong.”
“The 15-year-old female was released from police custody without charge within the extrajudicial measures guidelines of the Youth Criminal Justice Act of Canada,” the release adds.
Niagara police are reminding youth about “the serious consequences of making online threats, even when intended as a joke.”
“Threats, whether made in person or online, are treated as real until proven otherwise, as public safety is the highest priority.”
