State Downplays School Bus Threat

An email threat warning of a possible threat against school busses is not believed to be credible, state officials said.

School Districts such as Syosset and Huntington warned about the threat on their websites after the email on Friday from the state Education Department. 

But the education department followed up with a letter Wednesday saying that while law enforcement authorities are taking the threat seriously and continuing to investigate, they are "not considering this a credible threat at this time."

In Massapequa, Deputy Superintendent Alan Adcock said that while bus drivers in the district "are always vigilant," they were taking no extraordinary measures in light of the education department's Wednesday letter.

U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-Massapequa, chairman of the House Homeland Security committee, issued a short statement Wednesday on the alert, saying "I am confident that law enforcement officials, particularly the  will do everything possible to prevent any attack from happening.”

A King spokesman, Kevin Fogarty, said King was not informed of the threat by the state Education Department. King's district includes the Massapequas and stretches across eastern Nassau County from Long Island Sound to the Atlantic.

The threatening email made references to the terrorist organization al Qaeda and the recent shooting of Congresswoman 

The chilling in part, said:

"If we attack a school bus full of kids, it may have no effect on the hardened criminals that rule Albany. But it will put the public in an uproar. Our goal is to create anarchy. You'll have to kill us to stop us." 

The anonymous threat was received in Albany on April 1. The untraceable email made terrorist threats against state office buildings and the state Legislature.When the state reached out to schools, they urged bus drivers to take additional safety precautions, saying bus inspections should be conducted with "an added sense of caution and urgency." Drivers were told to report any suspicious individual who attempted to board a bus.

The state Office of Counter Terrorism said that other than reporting suspicious activity or communications to the state Intelligence Center there is "currently no information that suggests a change in planned activities."