A primary school in Virginia dismissed students early Tuesday after being placed on lockdown following an anonymous bomb threat apparently sent in response to a new After School Satan Club.
A similar bomb threat prompted police response after being issued against the headquarters of The Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts.
B.M. Williams Primary School in Chesapeake dismissed at noon after students were evacuated from the building and authorities took longer than expected with their assessment, according to a statement sent to parents by Chesapeake Public Schools and provided to Fox News Digital.
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A Virginia State Police x-ray of a backpack flagged by two explosive detection K9s was found to be empty, and authorities found no other objects in the school, according to local WTKR.
The alleged bomb threat comes days after the first meeting of an After School Satan Club at the primary school, the battle over which roiled the Virginia town for months as many parents pushed back against it.
The person who wrote the anonymous email, which was disseminated to various local media outlets, wrote, "You are evil, there is no other way to put it," and went on to say, "You promote devil worship and un-Islamic values," according to local WAVY News. The email also reportedly threatened a Chesapeake school board member, the Chesapeake schools superintendent and the organizer of the After School Satan Club.
Officials have yet to confirm if the threat was related to the After School Satan Club. The Chesapeake Police Department did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment by time of publication.
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Police in Salem, Massachusetts, shut down a bridge at around 9:45 a.m. following a similar email threatening The Satanic Temple's headquarters in the town, according to Salem News.
"We placed a bomb in the Satanic Temple in Salem," the email reportedly said. "In the name of Allah we will kill all you satanic degenerates."
A public alert later noted that The Satanic Temple and surrounding areas had been searched and cleared from the earlier bomb threat.
Salem police Capt. Marc Berube told the local outlet that Tufts University forwarded them the threatening email, which was also reportedly sent to various local media outlets.
"We had two State Police bomb dogs out," Berube said. "They searched the perimeter and the interior of the building — no detection of any bombs. It appears to be a hoax at this time, and we're going to have our detectives look into the email further."
The Salem Police Department did not immediately return a phone call from Fox News Digital.
A spokesperson for After School Satan Club declined Fox News Digital's request for comment.
