Leiden Schools Threatened

All secondary schools and MBOs in Leiden are closed on Monday because someone posted a threat of an attack on the Internet. The authorities are taking the threat seriously. In his post, written in English, the unidentified author threatens to shoot his Dutch teacher dead 'and as many students as I can’. He says he will have a note on him as an evidence. His post includes an image of the weapon which he will use: a Colt Defender. "We've been busy all day, but we still have not tracked down the sende; at this moment we don’t know who it is," the police spokesman Wim Hoonhout said on Sunday. It is not clear either which school is targeted. Therefore, on Sunday Mayor Henry Lenferink of Leiden, the police and the public prosecution decided to close all schools in Leiden on Monday as a precaution. “It's a huge dilemma, but we can not do it otherwise,” said Hoonhout. “With the information we have now, it is the only solution.” The search for the unknown sender of the threat is ongoing. The measure affects tens of schools and thousands students, according to the Public Prosecution (OM). How long the schools will remain closed is still unclear. “It is difficult to estimate. On Monday we will decide based on the progress of the investigation,” said an OM spokeswoman. In the Netherlands a large number of schools have never before been closed for fear of a shooting. The Mayor of Leiden, Henri Lenferink, said on Sunday at RTL News that at each school there will be police on Monday. “The schools are responsible for informing students and teachers about the closure,” said Lenferink.