This morning, more than 900 schools were closed in Los Angeles over what was called a "credible terror threat." Now, a US congressman in the House Intelligence committee is saying that the threat, which is believed to have come from a location near Germany, was probably "a hoax."
"The preliminary assessment is that it was a hoax or something designed to disrupt school districts in large cities," said Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) in an official statement. "The investigation is ongoing as to where the threat originated from and who was responsible."
Given recent terrorist attacks around the world, and locally in San Bernardino, LA officials were not willing to risk another disaster. Another congressman, Brad Sherman, said that the person who sent the threat claimed to be "an extremist Muslim who has teamed up with local jihadists."
New York authorities also received threats, but determined that they were not credible enough to cancel school.
Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke about the decision to close schools today. "Decisions need to be made in a matter of minutes," he said. "We will continue to hope that this is nothing and that our children will be back in school tomorrow."
In the meantime, the mayor's office announced that LACMA and the Petersen museums will offer free admission to all LAUSD students today. Or if you need other ideas on how to entertain your kids today, here are some things to do around LA.