A man is arrested for threatening several Valencian educational centres with a massive attack

Barcelona / ValenciaThe Civil Guard has arrested a man this morning for threatening to carry out a mass attack on several Valencian schools. According to police sources, ARA has been able to find out that 27 schools and institutes in Turís, Cheste, Chiva, Buñol, Yátova and Setaigües had received an email in which the author stated that he had planned to kill "as many people as possible". After receiving the alert, the centres suspended classes and some were even evacuated.

In Buñol, the Civil Guard and the Local Police have begun the evacuation of the three schools and the institute. In Yátova, the primary school and the infant school were also evacuated, according to the mayor, Miguel Tórtola, who indicated that between 8.30 and 8.45 they received a warning from the Civil Guard headquarters in Buñol about the threat, and decided. In Yátova, the relatives of the students have been notified – through a WhatsApp message – that they had to pick up their children. Later, the Civil Guard has checked the two centres in the town accompanied by the caretaker and has confirmed that "everything was in order", according to Tórtola. The town councils spread notices on social networks of the cancellation of classes and detailed that the measures have been adopted in order not to "put the safety of the students and teachers at risk".

A 23-year-old man

The author of the threat claimed in the email that he was "armed" and that he had "placed things" in schools and institutes. He also apologized to his parents. After learning of the events, the Civil Guard began an investigation to locate the man and finally arrested the alleged author of the message. The Valencian Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, José Antonio Rovira, has informed the media that the detainee suffers from some kind of mental illness. According to the Europa Press agency, the detainee is a 23-year-old individual and a resident of Turís, and he was arrested in a day centre for psychological care in Paterna. In the emails, the arrested man said that he was part of an international group of paedophiles and child predators called 764. "Today I plan to go to all the schools listed and kill as many people as possible," he said.

At mid-morning, the Valencian Minister of Education has declared the episode to be over and has announced that some centres will resume activity today. However, he stressed that this will be a decision for each school and institute.