Student charged with terrorist threat against Montgomery school

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - A 13-year-old Southlawn Middle School student has been arrested and charged with making a terrorist threat against a Montgomery public school, according to school officials.

MPS spokesman Tom Salter says an investigation was opened shortly after 8 a.m. when a 911 call was made to Montgomery police about a man wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun on the campus of Bellingrath Middle School.

Police responded to the school but never found a threat. An investigation was then opened into the anonymous male caller’s claim and a suspect was quickly identified.

Salter said the 13-year-old was arrested after making the call from a residence. He was not at school at the time of his arrest. His name is not being released due to his status as a minor.

“We are grateful to MPD for not only their quick response to the report, but to their rapid arrest of the suspect,” said MPS Superintendent Dr. Ann Roy Moore. “We have to help everyone understand that reporting a bomb threat, or any false information about a criminal event at a school is not a joke. It doesn’t matter if you are a student or an adult. You will be caught and arrested.”

Superintendent Ann Roy Moore appreciates the quick action by law enforcement.