Norfolk Collegiate School was closed Friday after its administration received an emailed bomb threat.
Norfolk Police were notified about the threat at 6:50 a.m. Friday.
“Out of precaution, the Head Master of Norfolk Collegiate decided to cancel classes for the entire day for both campuses, said Norfolk Police spokesman Daniel Hudson. “The bomb threat email has been investigated by our computer forensics unit and appears to be a phishing email.”
Norfolk Fire-Rescue and Norfolk Police Bomb squad were called and conducted a search of both campuses. Virginia Beach Police and Portsmouth Police bomb squads assisted in the search.
Police said Friday afternoon nothing was found “and both schools have been cleared.”
“Despite the origin of the phishing email, Norfolk Police and Fire-Rescue take every school threat seriously and we thank Norfolk Collegiate School, VA Beach Police and Portsmouth Police for their assistance in this morning’s incident,” Hudson said.
In an email Friday afternoon, Norfolk Police public information officers issued this statement: “According to open-sources, an online group called “APOPHIS SQUAD” has taken credit for sending out hoax emails across the United States and United Kingdom. Federal authorities have partnered with local law enforcement to investigate the validity of the threats being disseminated across the US and UK. While it appears the emails may be a hoax, Norfolk Police and Fire-Rescue take every threat to our schools in Norfolk seriously.”
