Schools throughout the city of Denver, Colorado have closed for the day as authorities search for an “extremely dangerous” woman.
Sol Pais, 18, is reportedly obsessed with the 1999 Columbine high school massacre, in which two teenagers murdered 12 students and a teacher.
The 20th anniversary of the attack is on 20 April.
FBI agent Dean Phillips told reporters Ms Pais was a “credible threat to the community”.
Authorities issued a security warning to schools throughout the Denver area late on Tuesday. Since then, a number of districts have announced closures, including Cherry Creek, Mapleton and Jefferson County.
The CBS network reported that more than 130 schools had closed.
“All facilities and programs are closed for the day – no employees are to report,” Jefferson County Public Schools posted on Twitter, saying they made the decision “in collaboration with other Denver-metro area school districts”.
Jefferson County sheriff’s office earlier posted photos of the woman on Twitter.
She is described as an 18-year-old white female from Florida last seen in the area wearing camouflage trousers, a black t-shirt and black boots.
“She is armed and considered to be extremely dangerous”, the post reads.
FBI agents in Miami alerted their colleagues in Colorado after Ms Pais travelled to the state.
While she made no specific threat against schools, Mr Phillips said her comments made her a danger. She has not been charged with any crime but the priority was to find her, he said.
What happened at the Columbine massacre?
- Took place on 20 April 1999 at Columbine High School
- Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves
- At the time it was the deadliest US high school shooting in history
- Michael Moore made the documentary Bowling for Columbine about the shooting in 2002
Source: bbc.co.uk
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