Manitoba RCMP arrest teen in connection with fake school shooting threats made to U.S. police

Manitoba police have arrested a man from Fisher River Cree Nation for allegedly calling in phony school shooting threatsto U.S. authorities in two states.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation contacted Manitoba RCMPon Aug. 17, asking them to help with an investigation, RCMP said in a news release Wednesday.

The U.S. authorities informed RCMP ofincidents in Tennessee andin North Carolina involving what's commonly referred to as "swatting," which is when someone reports a fake life-threatening situation to provoke a police response.

Police in each state received 911 calls on separate dates from a man who claimed he was inside a school with a gun and planned to start shooting. The schools were placed on lockdown and each incident drew a large police presence that included SWAT teams,RCMP said.

Investigators later determined the calls were false and came from a Manitoba residence.

RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Servicelinked the calls back to an address in Fisher River Cree Nation, about 175 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Police executed a search warrant on the home on Aug. 30, where they arrested an 18-year-old man and seized numerous electronic devices.

The teen was taken into custody and later released. Heis scheduled to appear in court Dec. 7 on Peguis First Nation, which is between Winnipeg and Fisher River.

The investigation continues.

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