It was Tuesday morning that a principal at one of the secondary schools in Ålesund notified the police. One of the students at the school had received a Snapchat message that could be perceived as a threat. Jan Roar Gidske in the Møre and Romsdal police district. Photo: MØRE OG ROMSDAL POLICE DISTRICT The police went out to all secondary schools in Ålesund with armed and uniformed police patrols. After this, fake news articles started circulating that several people had been shot. Now a person is charged with fabricating fake news. – A young person living in Sunnmøre is charged under Section 187 of the Penal Code, second paragraph, for fabricating and distributing false news about the threat case, says the head of prosecution in the Møre and Romsdal police district, Jan Roar Gidske, in a press release on Tuesday afternoon. The person is therefore not charged with having anything to do with the threat. Admitting the relationship The police further say that they take such fake news seriously because they contribute to creating fear and to escalating the uncertainty surrounding the threat situation. The police have interviewed the suspect, who has acknowledged the relationship. Items used for the production and distribution of the fake news article have also been seized. The police campaigned at all the secondary schools in Ålesund on Tuesday. Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / news Image of weapon and backpack On Tuesday morning, a student at Spjelkavik secondary school was able to tell news that an image had circulated on social media. In the picture you can see some kind of weapon and a rucksack, with the text: “Ålesund. Didn’t come to school tomorrow”. The teenager says that she does not know who sent the picture, but that it has been spread to many people. – I feel safe, but many are skeptical. There is a lot of chaos at the school today and many are afraid that something will happen. We have been told by the teachers to stay at school and that the police will take care of it, the student told news. Does not think the threat was real Police Inspector Yngve Skovly says that everything indicates that the threat message originates from another part of the country and that it has been modified to apply to Ålesund. Photo: Remi Sagen / news The police went out to all the secondary schools with armed and uniformed police patrols. They still believed that they had such a good overview of the situation that it was never necessary to evacuate pupils and staff. On Tuesday afternoon, the police stated that it was a picture on Snapchat that triggered the action, but that they do not believe that the threat that was shared is real. – We are now approaching a solution and we have been in contact with several other police districts and received assistance to the right, says police inspector Yngve Skovly. The police believe that everything indicates that the Snapchat picture was produced and distributed in another part of the country and was changed to apply to Ålesund by a local youth. The police were on site at several secondary schools in Ålesund. Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / news Investigating the case further They are still investigating the case, but say that they are now back in a normal situation. – Everyone can go to school as usual on Wednesday. What we have to be aware of is that there may be some scared pupils after what they have seen with armed police and uniformed forces, says chief of staff Janne E. Garnes Nilsen. She says it is important to talk to the young people. The police will still be visibly present at secondary schools in Ålesund municipality to keep pupils, teachers and staff safe, but not on the same scale. Many rumors and untruths Principal Ole Reinlund at Ålesund secondary school says that the threat has affected the learning environment for the pupils. The starting point for the threat was a picture with text on it that was shared on social media. The police were on site at Ålesund secondary school on Tuesday. Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / news – At one, two, three all the students have seen this picture. And suddenly everyone thinks they know something or other, says Reinlund. He says there has been a lot of rumor and the spreading of untruths and that it has become an unsafe school environment on the basis of this. The police are asking for help from the public to stop the sharing of the image on social media. – We encourage those who receive the picture not to share it further, and all parents to talk to their children and young people about this. Principal Ole Reinlund at Ålesund secondary school says that the threatening situation has affected the pupils. Photo: Remi Sagen / news
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