NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- Norfolk Police and Norfolk Fire Rescue searched and cleared Norfolk Collegiate School after an email bomb threat was sent on Friday morning. Nothing suspicious was found.
The school posted on its Facebook page that it would be closed Friday "due to unforeseen circumstances."
Norfolk Police said the school notified them shortly before 7 a.m. that they received a bomb threat via email.
Norfolk Fire-Rescue and the Norfolk Police bomb squad were called out and are searching the school for any possible explosive devices. Chief Harry Worley tells 13News Now the school was closed "out of an abundance of caution."
Police said the bomb threat email was examined by their computer forensics unit, and it appears to be a phishing email. An online group "APOPHIS SQUAD" later took credit for sending out hoax emails across the U.S. and United Kingdom.
Norfolk Police said that despite the email's origins, authorities take every school threat seriously. Federal authorities have partnered with local law enforcement in investigating these threats.
Police from Virginia Beach and Portsmouth also assisted in the investigation.
