Student’s toy gun causes Interpol alert

Haunted by a history of mass shootings on campuses in their country, the Unites States authorities approached Interpol to alert Pakistani officials after a college student posted online a video from his classroom with a toy gun in his bag.

The boy identified as Hussain Asif, a resident of Canal Housing Society, had posted the video on Snapchat in which he was pulling out a handgun from his bag. As the video was uploaded, the authorities in the US contacted the International Police in panic to express their fears that the boy could cause a shooting inside the school.

The information from Interpol was forwarded to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). After the FIA director general asked the cybercrime wing in Lahore to take action, a team took hold of the suspect, but it turned out that the suspect was carrying a toy gun. FIA officials said they were investigating the matter further.

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The boy reportedly took the toy pistol out of his bag in a college classroom, prompting the US authorities to contact the interior ministry through Interpol. The International Police officials called for urgent action to atop a possible shooting incident.

He told the FIA that he had joked with his friends that he would bring a pistol to the college and resort to shooting. He said the same message was also written on Snapchat but deleted immediately. According to FIA sources, the boy had switched off his phone. His last noted location was at Saadi Park, after which the phone was switched on in Canal Housing Society at around 1am.

The FIA apprehended him with the help of the Elite Force. His parents were reportedly unaware of the whole episode. A report in this regard was also sent to the US through Interpol. FIA officials said the youth had been released on personal surety. However, a forensic audit of his phone was under way.

Action was not taken under he the anti cybercrime law because it was a mischief and the weapon was not real, an official said, adding that legal action would be taken if Amy clip violating the laws was found in the phone record.

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US authorities had contacted Pakistan in a similar manner in two other instances during the past three years. In one case, they alerted the authorities of a possible involvement of a youth in the deadly online game Blue Whale. In another case, a couple of teenagers had posted a video on social media in which they created a farce of abducting a friend and putting him in a car after handcuffing and blindfolding him.

Mass killings in firing by students are a haunting chapter of US history. In 2005, a teenage student in Red Lake, Minnesota killed at least 10 people, including five students, two teachers and a security guard. Before the shooting spree, he had shot dead his grandfather and a friend at home.

He also committed suicide after the attack. In April, 2007, at least 32 people were killed after a student opened fire at his university fellows twice with a gap of a few hours. The suspect later committed suicide.