Boy's Bush threat sparks alert

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British schoolboy sparked a trans-Atlantic investigation after e-mailing a joke death threat to U.S. President George W. Bush from his school computer.

The pupil, aged 15, sent the sinister message, warning that Bush would be assassinated, to the White House Web site.

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Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents treated it seriously and tracked the culprit down to a classroom at Blake High School in Cannock, central England.

Detectives from the UK Special Branch were called in to continue the investigation and they interviewed the teenager at his home.

Strong reprimand

Although the boy had used an alias to conceal his identity, staff discovered who he was.

Head teacher Heather Bowman said: "This seems to be a joke that went wrong.

"This thoughtless prank proved that in this electronic age, all communications are traceable and attributable."

She said the pupil had not been suspended but had received a strong reprimand both from the police and the school.

The head teacher added: "The school has been in the forefront of information technology development which makes international communications easily accessible to all.

"The school is well aware of its responsibilities and has good monitoring and security systems in place which are constantly being updated."

A CIA official said: "Every threat made against President George W. Bush is taken very seriously."

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Blake High School
The White House
White House Electronic Publications
Central Intelligence Agency
Special Branch info (unofficial)

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