The federal prosecutor for the Puerto Rico district, Stephen Muldrow, together with the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joseph Gonzalez, expressed the consequences of intimidating schools or affiliates on social networks, because “they are not a joke.”
“Making a threat against the safety of a person or organization via social media, by text message, or by email is a federal crime for making a threat through interstate communication,” Muldrow said.
He stressed that those who publish or send them could be jailed for up to five years or face charges before the courts in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rican authorities on Wednesday charged 40-year-old Miguel Burgos, whose 12-year-old son brought an automatic gun to the Republica del Peru school in the capital’s Centaurus sector, although he was released after posting bail.
Two minors were also interviewed by police after exchanging messages on the WhatsApp platform with the aim of causing a “sea of blood” at both University Garden and Juan Jose Osuna High School in the capital.
On Tuesday, a student at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez (west) warned that a building on campus would explode, prompting the mobilization of police officers who specialize in explosives.
In this sense the author of the messages could be identified, but the authorities did not detail the subsequent course, as the person involved had suffered a panic attack.
“One careless and imprecise comment on social media could result in our youth starting their adult lives in prison and being criminals for the rest of their lives,” said US Attorney Muldrow. Such dire consequences”.
In the meantime, the FBI will follow up on every lead, Gonzalez said, because public safety is its top priority.
“When it comes to threats to schools and other public places, our position is to treat them as if they are credible to ensure the safety of the public,” he affirmed.
He insisted that he would follow every lead and go to the end of each of these incidents.
