​NEWS RELEASE

FROM:
Amy Cornell, Public Information Officer
(408) 792-2997   CONTACT PERSON:
Detective Sergeant Ken Taylor, REACT Crimes Task Force
(408) 210-6386   For release on October 23, 2009     REACT TASK FORCE NABS SUSPECT WHO MADE ONLINE TERRORIST THREAT   On Monday, October 5th, 2009, the Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team (REACT), a Bay Area high-tech law enforcement task force, received a report of an unknown suspect making a threat via the Internet to attack his school with explosives. The threat stated the following:   “Today at 11:30 est I will attack my school with grenades and other forms of violence. Those bastards will pay. Watch here – cnn.com/live.news.”   The suspect attempted to post this threat in a user’s forum of an online computer game on October 5. The company hosting the forum, located in the Bay Area, intercepted the threat before it was posted. The company then immediately reported this incident to local law enforcement. It, in turn, referred the matter to REACT, which specializes in high-tech crimes. Task Force Agent Matt Broad conducted extensive investigation and traced the posting to a male juvenile living in the area of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The suspect attended a continuation school for troubled youth. Despite the threat, no attack occurred at the school. REACT then assisted the Rocky Mount P olice Department which continued the investigation in North Carolina. On October 15, the suspect was arrested and his residence was searched via a search warrant. No destructive devices or related materials were located during the search. There were, however, written drawings depicting explosions found in the suspect’s possession. The suspect was detained for making a false report of a destructive device and was later released to the custody of his mother pending a juvenile hearing, scheduled for October 27th, 2009, in North Carolina.   REACT is a multi-agency Bay Area task force designated for high-technology crimes investigation and prosecution. Its members consist of investigators, computer forensic experts, and prosecutors from agencies around the Bay Area. REACT is administered by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. REACT Agent Broad’s home agency is the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.   ###