Newsbreak: Virginia School Evacuated After Bomb Threat Linked to After School Satan Club Launch

B.M. Williams Primary School in Chesapeake, Virginia, was evacuated and dismissed early after an anonymous bomb threat was received. The threat was apparently sent in response to the launch of an after-school Satan Club. The school was placed on lockdown as Virginia State Police assessed the area. According to a WTKR report on February 21, 2023, explosive detection dogs flagged an empty backpack, and no other objects were found in the school.

Officials have not confirmed whether the threat was related to the After-School Satan Club. The email accused the club of promoting devil worship and un-Islamic values, as reported by WAVY News on February 21, 2023. The email also threatened a Chesapeake school board member, the Chesapeake school superintendent, and the organizer of the After School Satan Club.

In another part of the country, the Satanic Temple’s headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts, also received a bomb threat. According to Salem News, the email claimed that a bomb had been placed in the building and threatened the temple’s members. Police shut down a bridge and searched the area, but no evidence of a bomb was found. Police have not confirmed whether the threats to both locations are related. However, according to Salem News and Fox News Digital, police have declared both threats to be hoaxes at this time.

A spokesperson for the After-School Satan Club declined to comment. Meanwhile, the Chesapeake Police Department did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. The Salem Police Department also did not immediately return a phone call from Fox News Digital. The incidents come amid a national debate over the place of religious organizations in public schools.