16-year-old Florida student arrested for threatening to 'firebomb every school in the county': deputies
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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - A 16-year-old Florida student is facing charges after making threats to "firebomb every school" in Hillsborough County, according to deputies.
The teen is facing three counts of written or electronic threat to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, according to a press release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
He allegedly posted comments on Instagram posts by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, threatening to bomb schools in the area.
"I placed explosives set to detonate tomorrow at 3:00 in every school in the county," one comment said, according to deputies.
"I'm gonna firebomb every school in the county," said another.
"I'm gonna bomb every school in the county tomorrow," the third comment said.
Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office
The comments were posted underneath a video from Nov. 1 discouraging students from "making statements or jokes" about threatening violence at school. The comments have since been deleted.
"We weren't joking. The things you say and write have real consequences," the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. "Threats are never a joke and can land you in serious trouble even if you're a minor. These comments were made on our video depicting the serious consequences of making jokes about school shootings."
Within an hour, detectives met the teen at his home and he admitted to making the comments online, according to the press release. When deputies searched his home, no bomb-making materials were found. Deputies also searched local schools and found no evidence of explosives anywhere.
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"There is no scenario where this kind of comment is a joke or funny," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release. "We take any threat of violence, especially involving our schools, very seriously. Now, this teen will face the consequences of his reckless actions."
This remains an active investigation.