USA: Man arrested for threatening to unleash mass shooting at Los Angeles university

An individual who reportedly sent threats to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) was arrested in Colorado on Tuesday, authorities said.

In a statement, UCLA expressed relief that authorities “have apprehended the individual who made threats against part of our UCLA community yesterday.”

Hours earlier, UCLA had to order all classes to be held remotely because of the threats. The students had returned to in-person classes on Monday.

“The UCLA Police Department is aware of a concerning email and message sent to some members of the community and has contacted out-of-state and federal law enforcement agencies,” the university said in a series of social media posts. prior to the arrest of the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Matthew Christopher Harris.

The FBI’s Los Angeles office is working with UCLA “to assess the situation,” FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told The Associated Press before the arrest in Colorado.

The Los Angeles Times reported that it obtained emails that were sent to students and professors showing that authorities were investigating a former UCLA professor who allegedly sent a video alluding to a mass shooting and an 800-page manifesto threatening individuals in the philosophy department.

UCLA’s social media posts did not confirm the details of the Times report, but said: “Out-of-state law enforcement agencies have confirmed that the person who made the threats against UCLA is under observation and not in California. Classes today will remain remote.

The university’s press relations department did not respond to messages Tuesday from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The university posted on social networks phone numbers for students and teachers and employees who want therapy.

The UCLA campus was rocked by a shooting in 2016 when a former student killed his wife in a Minneapolis suburb and traveled to the university, where he shot and killed an engineering professor who was his mentor, after which he killed himself.