A student of a school in United States’ Utah was arrested on Friday for bringing a gun to school amid heightened alert due to a disturbing TikTok trend. The student was arrested in Salt Lake City.
The police said that they were alerted about a student of the East High School carrying a gun. He was taken into custody as soon as he arrived in school.
Later, when the backpack of the student was checked, officers found a gun and some bullets, the police said.
The student was taken to the Salt Lake City detention centre where the case will be produced before a judge. The identity of the student has not been revealed because he is a minor.
After the arrest of the student, the school administrators sent a letter to the parents of other students who alerted the police about the potential threat.
Schools across the US are on alert after rumours of potential shootings on Friday spread on TikTok, though authorities said no credible threat had been found.
Some schools - already on edge after a recent shooting - sent warnings to parents and stepped up security; a number of districts also cancelled classes for the day.
{{/usCountry}}Some schools - already on edge after a recent shooting - sent warnings to parents and stepped up security; a number of districts also cancelled classes for the day.
{{/usCountry}}TikTok said that it was working with law enforcement to investigate reported videos discussing an upcoming school shooting, but had "found nothing."
"If we did find promotion of violence on our platform, we'd remove and report it to law enforcement," it added.
TikTok, one of the most popular social media services with school-aged children, has already come under fire for allowing the posting of short videos challenging people to risky, damaging and illegal acts.
Earlier this year the viral "Devious Licks" challenge video encouraged students to vandalize bathrooms at schools and make copycat TikTok videos of it.
That led to numerous cases of minor destruction of school property around the country.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-gun violence nonprofit, at least 149 school shootings have occurred in the United States so far this year, with 32 deaths and 94 injuries.