Waterloo Regional Police and campus special constables are at the Waterloo campus of Wilfrid Laurier University after a Snapchat post raised concerns of the possibility of violence.
A posting made on Snapchat late Thursday shows a shirtless man carrying what appears to be a Kalashnikov-style assault rifle. A caption beneath the man says “Tell ISIS to find me in the science building,” apparently referring to the science building on Laurier’s campus.
It is not known whether the weapon shown in the image is real or imitation firearm.
Police say a number of related posts by the user on Snapchat suggest the person who posted the image is aware of the layout of WLU. Police swept the science building and two other buildings nearby.
Police are looking to identify the man in the Snapchat photo, circulating the image online.
The origin of the threat is being investigated by police but authorities say the campus is not in any immediate danger. But as a precaution, police have beefed up their presence in the area.
The WLU campus was completely locked down for half a day on Oct. 16, after a man in the U.K. allegedly posted a message on 4chan.org that threatened the school’s science building.
The accused in that case called the message a joke that was not intended to harm anyone.
“We realize how disruptive and disturbing these incidents are,” WLU president Max Blouw said. "I would like to emphasize that the safety of the Laurier community is our top priority and I am grateful to the Waterloo Regional Police and our Special Constable Service for their thorough and professional work.”
