Student arrested for illegal threats against upper secondary school in Karlskrona
Police were called to af Chapmangymnasiet in Karlskrona on Tuesday after a student posted a concerning image on social media. The student was detained on suspicion of illegal threats but was later released.
Lockdown at af Chapmangymnasiet following suspected threat on social media
Police were called to af Chapmangymnasiet in Karlskrona on Tuesday after a student posted an image on social media that caused concern at the school, according to SVT Nyheter. The student was located and arrested, and was subsequently detained by the prosecutor on suspicion of illegal threats.
Police were already at the school at 12 o'clock on a separate matter when they became aware of the published image and requested reinforcements. At around 13:30, the school leadership decided to implement a lockdown.
– Based on this, it was decided that a lockdown should be carried out in accordance with the procedures we have in place. It went quickly and efficiently, says Henning Fuhrman, administrative director of the education department in Karlskrona.
As a result of the incident, the other municipal upper secondary schools in Karlskrona also chose to send their students home for the day.
Prosecutor Hedvig Lundblad states that the offence was assessed as illegal threats of a standard degree, not as a serious crime.
– What we want now is to gain clarity on what happened and why it happened, says Lundblad.
On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that the student had been released, as there were no longer considered to be grounds to keep the person in custody. The preliminary investigation is ongoing and the student remains a suspect. The prosecutor states that she is otherwise unable to disclose details of the case.
A parent of one of the students who were locked down described the situation as distressing. She had maintained telephone contact with her son during the events.
– Your heart jumps into your throat. Now you just want to embrace your child, it feels so unpleasant that something like this happens, says the mother.
Both police and school personnel remained at the school during the afternoon for reassurance purposes. Surveillance staff and security officers were also present on Wednesday.
The police operation in Karlskrona coincided in time with similar operations at schools in Hässelby in Stockholm and in Lycksele in Västerbotten. However, police see no connections between the three incidents.
– In recent times, this type of alarm is something we have had to deal with quite a lot of, says Evelina Olsson of the police.
Source: SVT Nyheter