Virginia primary school locked down, evacuated due to bomb threat related to 'Satan Club'

An elementary school that runs its own After School Satan Club – and has recently faced harsh criticism in the local community because of it – was evacuated on Tuesday because of a bomb threat.      

B.M. Williams Primary School in Chesapeake, Virginia dismissed students just after noon after administrators had initially placed the institution in a ‘level one lockdown.’

The bomb threat comes just days after the school held its first meeting of the After School Satan Club, which was referenced in an email alerting officials to the threat. 

‘You are evil, there is no other way to put it,’ the email obtained by WAVY reads. ‘You promote devil worship and unIslamic values.’

The After School Satan Club is an organization that has chapters nationwide and is founded by the Satanic Temple. According to its website, the club does not teach Satanism. 

A primary school that recently made headlines for hosting an After School Satan Club was evacuated Tuesday due to a bomb threats

A primary school that recently made headlines for hosting an After School Satan Club was evacuated Tuesday due to a bomb threats

Families now say they are upset by the attention the club is bringing to the school

Families now say they are upset by the attention the club is bringing to the school

The club is meant to 'educate children and encourage critical thinking' allegedly

 The club is meant to ‘educate children and encourage critical thinking’ allegedly

According to Lucien Greaves, a spokesperson for the Temple, the club is meant to ‘educate children and encourage critical thinking’ without proselytization.

Despite Temple officials claiming the organization does not teach Satanism, chapters created at schools around the country have faced massive backlash. 

In November, DailyMail.com reported on the formation of a branch at a elementary school in Tehachapi, California. 

In an interview at the time, one parent described the decision to allow the club as ‘disgusting,’ while another called it ‘a mistake.’

Parents at the B.M. Williams in Virginia seem to agree, with protests having been arranged since the club’s first meeting on February 16. 

Some families now say they are upset by the attention the club is bringing to the school. ‘This is a hassle, this is a lot, to be worried about your children’s safety over a club is unnecessary,’ said one local mom. 

‘They need to fix it,’ another parent who spoke on camera with 13News Now said. 

‘They need to stop it, and get them away from the school,’ the mom continued. 

One child who spoke with the outlet said he initially thought the lockdown was a joke but that he became scared after realizing it was real.  

The school was placed on a 'level one lockdown' as officials investigated the bomb threat

The school was placed on a ‘level one lockdown’ as officials investigated the bomb threat

One child who spoke with the 13 News Now said he initially thought the lockdown was a joke but that he became scared after realizing it was real

One child who spoke with the 13 News Now said he initially thought the lockdown was a joke but that he became scared after realizing it was real

The Satanic Temple's website describes the club as a way to educate without proselytization

The Satanic Temple’s website describes the club as a way to educate without proselytization

Parents and families are now calling on the district to cancel the After School Satan Club

Parents and families are now calling on the district to cancel the After School Satan Club

Police searched the school for several hours Tuesday but found nothing. 

Initially, two explosive detection K9s were alerted to a backpack in a classroom, local outlets reported, but the Virginia State Police used an x-ray to scan the bag. 

The bag was determined to be empty and no other objects were found.  

School administrators said they plan to increase police presence in the coming days. 

Police officials confirmed after students and staff had been evacuated Tuesday that the bomb threat did in fact appear to be related to the controversial club. 

‘A motive for the threat is uncertain but language in the email appears to give reference to an After School Satan Club which recently held a meeting at the school,’ the police department said. 

The matter is still under investigation by Chesapeake Fire Marshals, Chesapeake Police, and the FBI. 

No suspects have been arrested at this time. 

Police officials confirmed after students and staff had been evacuated Tuesday that the bomb threat did in fact appear to be related to the controversial club

Police officials confirmed after students and staff had been evacuated Tuesday that the bomb threat did in fact appear to be related to the controversial club

This is a grab from the Satanic Temple's own video explaining the purpose of the club

This is a grab from the Satanic Temple’s own video explaining the purpose of the club

This is the logo for The Satanic Temple, which is the founder of the After School Satan Club

This is the logo for The Satanic Temple, which is the founder of the After School Satan Club

Around the same time that investigators were locking down the Virginia school, the Satanic Temple’s headquarters in Salem, Oregon and the ‘general area’ was evacuated. 

According to the The Salem News, an email was to staff at outlet just after 8.30am, reading: ‘We placed a bomb in the Satanic Temple in Salem. In the name of Allah we will kill all you satanic degenerates.’

The situation was cleared several hours later after police determined the threat to be a hoax, the Oregon outlet reported.  

‘The Satanic Temple and surrounding areas have been searched and cleared from the earlier bomb threat,’ read a public alert.

source: dailymail.co.uk