Los Angeles schools closed due to threat: What we know now


All Los Angeles schools were closed Tuesday after what was being reported as a "credible terror threat" to multiple schools.

According to The Associated Press, unless otherwise specified: (all times local):

12:44 p.m.

The Associated Press is reporting that a House Intelligence Committee member says Los Angeles school threat is believed to be a hoax.

11:20 a.m.

The Los Angeles police chief says the emailed threat that shut down the nation's second-largest school district described an attack with assault rifles.

Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday that it was specific to all the campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He says the email's "implied threat" involved explosive devices and the "specific threat" was a shooting attack.

Beck says the email was routed through Germany but that police believe its origin was much closer.

The police chief says the city takes threats against its schools seriously given the recent attack in San Bernardino and the frequency of school shootings.

He says the LAPD gave advice to district officials, who then chose to close all of its schools and public charter schools. Beck defended that decision.

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10:45 a.m.

The White House says the different reactions taken by the nation's two largest public school systems after receiving threats show that local first-responders are responsible for protecting their communities.

Spokesman Josh Earnest says he won't "second-guess" the decisions by Los Angeles officials to close their schools and New York City officials to keep their students in class.

Earnest says local authorities make decisions based on information they receive and what they believe is in the best interests of their communities.

He says that the FBI has been in touch with California law enforcement authorities.

New York City officials say they received the same threat as Los Angeles but quickly concluded it was a hoax. New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said he thought Los Angeles overreacted.

According to CNN, and other media outlets, the threat included a reference to Allah. But according to Bratton, Allah was not spelled with a capital A, experts do not belive that someone who was serious would make that mistake.

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10:35 a.m.

Los Angeles law enforcement and city leaders are defending the decision to shut down the city's school system due to an emailed threat.

Police Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters Tuesday that they stand behind the superintendent's order to close the Los Angeles Unified School District's more than 900 schools and 187 public charter schools as a precaution.

Beck says it's easy to criticize a decision when someone has no responsibility for its outcome. He says district police contacted his department late Monday about a threat sent to school board members.

Officials say it was a tough decision but the safety of students and employees was their main concern.

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9:40 a.m.

New York City officials say they and many cities across the country received the same threat that closed the Los Angeles school system.

Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters Tuesday that the threat came in the form of a "generic" email and that New York officials quickly concluded that it wasn't credible.

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9:20 a.m.

A Los Angeles school official says the threat that shut down the nation's second-largest school district was emailed to a school board member and is believed to have come from an IP address in Frankfurt, Germany.

Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Shannon Haber said Tuesday that she didn't know if the district has ever closed all of its more than 900 schools and 187 public charter schools.

New York City officials say they received the same threat but quickly concluded that it was a hoax. New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said he thought Los Angeles officials overreacted by deciding to close the schools.

Haber says she couldn't comment on threats received by other districts and whether they're related.

She says, "At this point, we're focused on LA Unified."

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9:10 a.m.

Reuters is reporting that the IP address that the Los Angeles threat originated from came from Frankfurt, Germany.

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8:55 a.m.

New York City officials say they received the same threat that led to the closure of the Los Angeles school system but quickly concluded that it was a hoax.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday morning that he was "absolutely convinced" there was no danger to schoolchildren in New York.

New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said he thought Los Angeles officials overreacted by deciding to close the nation's second-largest school system.

He said a school superintendent received the threatening email Tuesday morning.

Bratton said the person who wrote the note claimed to be a jihadist but made errors that made it clear the person was a prankster.

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8:15 a.m.

Parents bundling up their children on an unusually cold morning received robocalls from Los Angeles schools officials telling them to keep them home.

A voice message from the LA Unified School District said: "As a result of a threat received the superintendent has directed all schools to be closed today." Some parents also got separate calls from the schools themselves.

Parent Lupita Vela says she was terrified after getting the announcement, especially in light of the recent San Bernardino attack. Vela says she worries about how to talk to her 8-year-old daughter, Isabella, about the threat because she wants the third-grader to feel safe at school.

Elinor McMillan, whose daughter is in 7th grade at Animo Westside Charter Middle School, says she's a nervous wreck.

Superintendent Ramon Cortines says the threat was made against students at many of the district's schools.

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8:05 a.m. 

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8:11 a.m.

Parents have been told to keep their children home Tuesday. Anyone who had already dropped students off were being asked to pick them up. Officials said ID's would need to be presented before a child is released to a parent or guardian, KTLA reported.

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7:50 a.m.

Officials say the San Bernardino shooting influenced the decision to close all schools in the vast Los Angeles Unified School District after receiving a threat.

Superintendent Ramon Cortines said at a news conference Tuesday that an electronic threat in the form of a message was made against students at many of the district's schools.

He says the schools commonly get threats but called this one rare. Officials wouldn't elaborate.

Cortines says he ordered the shutdown out of an abundance of caution after the Dec. 2 attack in nearby San Bernardino that left 14 people dead.

He says he wants every school to be searched and a report given to him and the school board.

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7:42 a.m.

KABC is reporting that the school received an electronic threat mentioned backpacks and other objects. It did not point to specific schools.

District superintendent said the threat is "rare," according to KABC.

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7:30 a.m.

Los Angeles Unified School District police Chief Steven Zipperman says an "electronic" threat led to the decision to close all schools in the nation's second largest school district Tuesday morning.

Zipperman says the threat is still being evaluated.

District Superintendent Ramon Cortines says the threat was against students, not just a single campus.

Officials are notifying parents to keep their children at home.

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7:10 a.m.

All schools in the vast Los Angeles Unified School District have been ordered closed due to a threat.

School district spokeswoman Ellen Morgan announced the closure Tuesday but released no further details ahead of a press conference at district headquarters.

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Breaking News: All Los Angeles schools are closed today after what's being reported as a "credible terror threat" to multiple schools.

According the Los Angeles Unified School District, there are more than 640,000 students at more than 900 schools and 187 public charter schools.

It is the second largest school district in the country, KTLA reported.

The threat prompted the decision from the district's superintendent Ramon Cortines to close all schools until further notice, KTLA reported.