Arrests made after online threats against Winnipeg region school division
By The Canadian Press
SELKIRK, Man. – Charges were pending after the RCMP arrested three people following online threats that prompted a Manitoba school division to cancel classes Monday in all of its 15 schools.
Mounties in Selkirk said an 18-year-old man who lives in the community was arrested after word surfaced Sunday night about a social media post in which multiple violent threats were made.
“There was threats of harm and death to certain people, so we had to take those threats very seriously,” said Sgt. Paul Manaigre.
He said the threats continued under his profile after his arrest and police took an 18-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy into custody as well. They are also Selkirk residents.
All the arrests were made within three hours of the first online threat, Manaigre said.
“People did the right thing. They got wind of this quickly and they notified the authorities immediately.”
Mounties were still trying to ascertain the relationship between the suspects as well as their connection to any of the schools.
Division superintendent Michele Polinuk said the closure was to ensure the safety of students and staff, and that classes would resume Tuesday.
The Lord Selkirk School Division stretches from Winnipeg north to the community of Victoria Beach on Lake Winnipeg and straddles both sides of the Red River.
