Guelph student, 13, charged after online shooting threats against high school

A 13-year-old student has been arrested after threats to shoot students at a Guelph, Ont., high school were made online.

Guelph police said Wednesday officers learned of the threats on Tuesday afternoon after messages were posted in an online chat. The school’s principal contacted police after learning of the threats from other students.

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Police said in a news release the threats targeted two students and the larger school community.

A 13-year-old boy was arrested at his home and charged with three counts of uttering threats, police said. He was held in custody for a bail hearing Wednesday.

“The Guelph Police Service recognizes the importance of school safety and how threats of this nature can be difficult for students, staff, and their families,” police said in the release.

“Police take incidents like this extremely seriously and will continue to work closely with school boards to help identify the individuals responsible and lay the appropriate criminal charges when a suspect is identified.”