Five Massachusetts schools receive hoax bomb threats

BOSTON (Reuters) - Five schools in Massachusetts received near-simulataneous bomb threats on Wednesday, the most logged by state police this year. Police and fire officials said the threats at four high schools and one preschool across the state were all found to be hoaxes. "We don't know if they were in any way linked," said a dispatcher for the Massachusetts State Police. The threats were received at Amherst High School, Boston College High School, Boston English High School, Worcester North High School, and a preschool connected to Natick High School. The FBI has joined an investigation into a general increase in bomb threats in Massachusetts in recent months, some of which are believed to have come from a single source. Several high schools in Massachusetts received bomb threats last month by email from an account belonging to someone who calls himself "Jared the Terrorist," according to the state police. An FBI official was not immediately available to comment. (Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)