FBI officials say a series of bomb threats this week that forced classes to be canceled at two Catholic schools and a Lutheran elementary school in Eugene appear to be linked.
At least two of the seven threats issued Tuesday and Thursday to the schools contained anti-religious messages, according to school officials.
FBI investigators are working with Eugene police detectives to track down the source of the threats. Investigators said they are pursuing active leads in the case.
“If somebody is targeting schools because of religion, that is a federal civil rights violation,” FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said.
On Tuesday, bomb threats prompted daylong cancellations at both Marist High School, at 1900 Kingsley Road, and O’Hara Catholic School, at 715 W. 18th Ave.
Those two Catholic schools were targeted again Thursday.
Officials at both campuses arrived to work to find threatening voice messages left on school phones, police said.
Bomb squads promptly searched the campuses and deemed them safe.
Marist and O’Hara officials initially asked students to arrive at 10 a.m., but canceled classes for the day after both schools received a second round of threatening phone calls later in the morning.
Marist Principal Jay Conroy said neither threat Thursday at the high school referenced religion.
But Tuesday’s threat — a written message — was anti-Catholic, he said.
“These definitely are not your typical, trying-to-duck-a-test student types of threats,” Conroy said. “It’s irritating, but it’s more than that. It weighs on me because we’re very concerned about the kids.”
Life! Lutheran School Principal Chris Curry said a threatening note was discovered taped to a door at his school about 8 a.m. Thursday. Students were sent home immediately.
The note “mentioned the devil and hatred toward God,” Curry said.
Curry said he was unaware of any previous bomb threats at the school, located at Grace Lutheran Church at 710 E. 17th Ave. The school includes about 60 students in preschool through eighth grade.
Just as they did at the two Catholic schools, police on Thursday searched Life! Lutheran and the church, and found no suspicious devices.
FBI agent Nancy Savage, who runs the agency’s Eugene office, said all seven bomb threats received this week at the schools appear to be related.
That aspect of the investigation has school officials and parents wondering who is behind it all.
“Who are we dealing with?” Curry said. “Is it spiritual, or is it (someone with a) mental illness? You just don’t know.”
Paula Pennington, whose son attends Marist, said she is troubled by the string of threats.
“It’s getting to be quite worrisome,” Pennington said. “Having it happen once is one thing. But when it happens twice, it’s like, what the heck is going on? Who is this person? Is he all talk or not?”
While anyone who makes a bomb threat is subject to state charges, Savage said such a threat can be prosecuted as a federal crime.
“We are pursuing this very aggressively and seriously,” Savage said.
Eugene police Lt. Jennifer Bills said officers plan to increase patrols and security measures around the three locations targeted this week.
The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of people responsible for the threats.
Investigators ask anyone with information on the cases to call the Eugene Police Department’s tip line at 682-8888.