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Tag: school threats

  • Teen arson suspect accused of terroristic threats against North Texas schools

    The teenager charged with a string of five car arsons in a Fort Worth neighborhood was also one of the people responsible for social media threats against North Texas schools last week, police said Tuesday.

    Evan Banda, 17, now faces additional charges of terroristic threat and terrorism, police said in a news release.

    Fort Worth police began investigating the threats of mass violence after a video began circulating on social media Jan. 6. The video showed a masked man holding a handgun in front of what appears to be a Nazi flag.

    “Many people will die,” the man, wearing a yellow hockey mask, says through a voice-distortion filter. “We will kill in every way possible: shooting, bombing, cutting. We will be as cruel as possible.” According to social media posts, the man claimed to belong to a group referred to as ENDTEX.

    Fort Worth police believe that video originated from an extremist hate group overseas, officials said at the time. The video was initially posted on one social media platform before being widely circulated on more accounts and followed by additional threatening messages, police said.

    Included in the threatening messages, police said, was video footage of Crowley Middle School, which police later determined Banda was responsible for recording, according to the statement.

    Additional videos that investigators say Banda recorded of fires that he set in cars in south Fort Worth were also connected to the social media accounts, police say. Banda was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 8, on five counts of arson related to the car fires near Fox Run Park.

    Evidence in the terroristic threat case tied Banda to a “violent extremist hate organization,” and showed that he “acted in support of extremist ideologies,” police said. Police did not name the extremist organization.

    A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested after the Fort Worth Fire Department and police investigated a series of car arsons in the city.
    A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested after the Fort Worth Fire Department and police investigated a series of car arsons in the city. Fort Worth Fire Department

    Investigators also found evidence to charge Banda with possession of child pornography, according to the statement.

    Banda is being held in the Tarrant County Jail with bond set at $1.9 million.

    This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

    This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 2:48 PM.

    Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Lillie Davidson

    Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Lillie Davidson is a breaking news reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from TCU in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, is fluent in Spanish, and can complete a crossword in five minutes.

    Lillie Davidson

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  • Potential threats force historically Black Virginia universities to lock down – WTOP News

    Less than a month after opening for the new school year, two Virginia HBCUs —  Virginia State and Hampton Universities  — closed on Thursday after receiving threats to their campuses.

    This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury. 

    Less than a month after opening for the new school year, two Virginia HBCUs —  Virginia State and Hampton Universities  — closed on Thursday after receiving threats to their campuses.

    Though neither school has released details on what the threats entail, attention on campus safety has been heightened nationwide after the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

    In the past few years, Virginia’s institutions including Virginia State (VSU) and Hampton Universities have navigated multiple threats, some of which ended in no activity or followed after gun violence while others were found to be unsubstantiated.

    “The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors remain our highest priority,” Hampton University said in a statement Thursday morning, adding that further updates will be provided by the end of the day.

    Hampton said in a statement that it received notice of a “potential threat” and has ceased all non-essential activities, effective immediately. All campus activities and classes would also be closed through Friday including athletic events and activities.

    Virginia State advised the school’s community to continue checking VSU emails for updates.

    Last July, Hampton locked down the school to investigate a bomb threat targeting The William R. Harvey Library and the University Dining Hall, according to WAVY News. Officials determined there was no threat.

    Then, a month later in Petersburg, Virginia State locked down its school after four people, none of whom were enrolled students, were shot on Boisseau Street outside Daniel Gymnasium on the university’s campus, 8News reported. The media outlet reported that all four people were then taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

    As of 12:30 p.m., no other institute in Virginia has announced any similar closure.

    Historically Black educational institutions in other states were also forced to close Thursday due to threats, including Southern University in Louisiana and Alabama State University.

    Jessica Kronzer

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  • 10 Prince George’s Co. students charged in connection with school threats – WTOP News

    10 Prince George’s Co. students charged in connection with school threats – WTOP News

    Ten students in Prince George’s County, Maryland, have been charged in connection with multiple school threats so far this academic year.

    Ten students in Prince George’s County, Maryland, have been charged in connection with multiple school threats so far this academic year.

    The students charged are between 13 and 16 years old.

    Prince George’s County police said in a news release that they investigated 47 school-related threats at the start of the 2024-25 school year.

    The department said they “will continue to aggressively investigate all threats of violence at county schools,” which are mostly spread through social media.

    Additionally, police recognized four more juveniles younger than 13 years old who were connected to those threats. They can’t be charged under Maryland law, according to police.

    Police are pleading with parents to have conversations with their kids about this serious matter for the safety of students and staff.

    “We take each threat seriously and when possible, we will charge those responsible,” the department said in the release.

    Online threats have been on the rise in the D.C. region since the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia in September, which left four people dead. In that same month, a Maryland teen was arrested after posting threats on social media aimed at D.C.-area schools.

    Three Prince George’s County schools — Central High School, Kipp Elementary and Crossland High School — also faced a threat of a shooting that was scheduled for Sept. 25.

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    Tadiwos Abedje

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