Two teens are now facing criminal charges for making threats to harm a number of people at their school.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old male allegedly sent a threatening text message to an individual who quickly reported it to police. The following evening, a 16-year-old male allegedly posted a threat on an Internet chat room.

The Edmonton Sun has learned the threats involved shooting people at school. Police laid charges against the teens on Monday.

One of the teens attends St. Joseph Composite High School, while the other teen is a student at Archbishop Oscar Romero.

Lori Nagy, spokeswoman for Edmonton Catholic Schools, said the threat posted online was brought to the school’s attention. The boy posted he was from Edmonton, attended a catholic school and was planning to cause harm.

“Of course we were very concerned, especially at the time when the student had not been identified or the school,” said Nagy, who could not discuss the specifics about the post since the matter is now before the courts.

“It’s alarming to think that someone would say the types of things that were on that post. We’re grateful for the police with how quickly they were able to identify the student.”

In the chat room incident, Staff Sgt. Reagan James with tech crimes said police received international information about the post from the FBI that was monitoring chat rooms.

Police were able to contact the chat room security and work backwards from an IP address to identify the individual. The chat room is a public forum called 4chan, added James.

“What we’re trying to impress upon people is in times of the Internet and postings, people need to be very cognizant of the fact that if they make suggestions or threatening comments on the Internet, police agencies are monitoring and people are monitoring and we do take action,” said James, noting there is a heightened sensitivity to school violence following the deadly shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that killed 20 children and six adult staff members at an elementary school.

Incidents like the one in Edmonton aren’t common, he added, but other interactions on the Internet and cell phones that come to the attention of police are consistent.

“I can certainly ensure people this is something we take very seriously all year round. It’s not just heightened because of one incident in the U.S.”

Both students will not be returning to school before the Christmas break. The pair have been charged with uttering threats dangerous to the public.

According to Nagy, the incident marks the second in 10 years that a catholic school in Edmonton has been threatened.

In May 2007, classes were cancelled for the day at Archbishop MacDonald High School after a threatening message was discovered in a washroom at the school. The threat included a specific date and singled out students and teachers.

pamela.roth@sunmedia.ca

@SUNpamelaroth