A 24-year-old man has been remanded in custody by magistrates after he was charged with making threats to kill 200 US schoolchildren in Warren County Tennesse.
Reece Elliott appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court where he also faced a charge of making a malicious communication.
Threatening posts made on a memorial page for a girl who was killed in a Tennessee road accident led to thousands of children being kept off school in the Warren County area of the state on Thursday February 7.
Reece Elliott was arrested on Friday February 8 2013 on suspicion of making the alleged threats.
An anonymous post made on Wednesday February 6 threatened a mass killing spree across all schools in Warren County saying: "My father has three guns. I’m planning on killing him first and putting him in a dumpster. Then I’m taking the motor and I’m going in fast.
"I’m gonna kill hopefully at least 200 before I kill myself."
Elliott, of Shrewsbury Terrace, South Shields, did not enter pleas to the charges and the case was sent to the crown court.
Gary Buckley, prosecuting, said one reason to deny him bail was that there may be reprisals.
Kevin Smallcombe, defending, said Elliott has no passport and no desire to visit Warren County.
Elliott, with curly dark hair, wore a red Russell Athletic t-shirt and looked agitated during the 30-minute hearing.
Jim Lynch, chairman of the bench, remanded him into custody.
He will appear before South Tyneside Magistrates Court on Wednesday February 13.
Homeland Security in the US has been informed and on Friday February 9, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Kristin Helm said its Cyber Crime agents are helping in the investigation and the source of the post had not been identified.
A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said: "At 2.12pm on Friday February 8, police received notification that a man had posted threatening information on Facebook.
"A 24-year-old man from South Shields has been arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and is currently in custody."
The message is believed to have been posted on Wednesday. There is nothing to suggest it posed any physical threat to any school either here or in America."
Bobby Cox, Director of Warren County Schools, said: "As most of you are aware we received notice of violent threats directed at Warren County High School late Wednesday evening, February 6.
"We put an action plan together with the local authorities to ensure the safety of our schools and our campuses across the system.
"We wanted to make sure that we had all the facts before we sent a mass message out via our calling system to you.
"Currently the Sheriff’s Department is working with the TBI and Homeland Security to trace down the person who posted this message.
"We have increased the presence of Police and Sheriff’s Deputies in our schools today and tomorrow and all schools will limit access into each building to ensure the safety of our staff and students.
"In the world we live today we can never be too cautious and must take all threats seriously."
In December, gunman Adam Lanza killed 27 when he opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, 60 miles from New York.
He died at the scene and the body of his mother, Nancy Lanza, was found at his family home. She had been shot in the face.
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