Bomb hoax closes Issaquah High; police say school safe to reopen on Monday

Issaquah High School was evacuated Friday when administrators learned that a posting on a hacker’s website indicated a bomb had been planted at the school and that a student planned to bring weapons to school.

Issaquah High School was evacuated Friday when administrators learned that a posting on a hacker’s website indicated a bomb had been planted at the school and that a student planned to bring weapons to school. No threats were made to specific individuals at the school.

The Issaquah Police Department said it had been contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation early Friday morning about the threat. The school already was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, but some sports and community activities were taking place at the school and were halted and the building evacuated.

The incident proved to be a hoax, but the school sent out a note to parents about the situation.

According to the information from the school, the threat apparently was made by an Issaquah High School student, but later investigation found that the student was not involved and police later traced the threat to a local business computer that was hacked in early November. The student and his family had cooperated completely with police and immediately turned over all electronic devices.

School officials say police have assured them that the high school is safe to reopen on Monday for student activities and classes will be in session as normal.

During the investigation, investigators with bomb-sniffing dogs swept the building and no bomb was found. The building was cleared for clubs and community activities to resume on Saturday.