Hattiesburg, Miss.(Photo: File)
Lamar County and Hattiesburg authorities say there is no validity to a story circulating the internet that there were four possible terrorists arrested for surveillance of area schools.
Sheriff Danny Rigel said a story on the website BeforeItsNews.com was probably an outcropping of social media rumors.
"I think it's one of those things that got put on Facebook, and it got cliked and liked enough that next thing you know, 'Dateline: Hattiesburg,'" Rigel said. "As far as this specific threat going around, it's like we keep finding, 'I know a guy who knew a guy,' and we never can find that guy."
Before It's News reported the following from the website SteveQuayle.com: "Spoke to a VERY close friend today, he went to a tactical rifle training course yesterday in Hattisburg (sic), Mississippi. The class was told of a 'recent' incident in LaMar (sic) County a noisy (alert) parent dropping her kids off at school saw a 'Middle East' looking man videotaping the school from inside a van. She went reported it to the school security officer, who called the police. Police came and stopped the video, and there were actually 4 men inside. Arrested the men, and once they played the video, there was actually (4) FOUR schools they had videotaped. The police called the FBI, and they came got the 4 men."
"There is no validity to it," said Lt. Jon Traxler of the Hattiesburg Police Department.
No one has been arrested in that alleged incident, Rigel said.
"They mentioned a specific town and county, and I think that's why there's all the hoopla. I have personally talked with the heads of every law enforcement agency and sheriffs department surrounding Lamar County and Hattiesburg, including the FBI which has a field office in Hattiesburg," he said. "Nothing has been reported to any of these agencies, and nothing has been reported with the Hattiesburg School Chief of Police or the Lamar County School Chiefs of Police."
Still officials say the actual spreading of the rumor is terroristic in nature, by the end of it.
"Our big thing is we look at any kind of terror threat, their main goal is to cause widespread chaos, that's what it's all about. Who started this, we don't know. That's being researched as well," said Traxler.
After the beheading of journalist James Foley two weeks ago, photos were surfacing on social media, claiming to be ISIS terrorists in front of landmarks in America. At that time, FBI Director James Comer made a speech in Atlanta, telling citizens to be alert to possible terror threats. He said there have been no specific threats, but was concerned about sympathizers in the United States.
"It's something I worry about all day, every single day," he said.
When asked about possible threats in Mississippi, however, FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden sent a statement from FBI Headquarters that said, "The FBI is unaware of any specific, credible threats to Mississippi or anywhere in the U.S. at this time. The FBI works around the clock with our partners in the law enforcement community to share and assess information. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activities to your local police or the FBI."
Authorities ask, however, that the public remain vigilant. Just because this threat was not real doesn't mean there couldn't be threats out there, especially with the anniversary of 9/11 on the way.
"Don't let your guard down. It seems like every time an anniversary comes around of tragic events 9/11 and the Columbine shootings, these rumors pop up for whatever reason. Because of people's concerns, we'll have heightened awareness," Rigel said.
Traxler also reminded the public to notify police if something seems out of place.
"We appreciate anybody who sees or hears anything out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to give us a call," he said.
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