The 18-year-old youth suspected of making an online threat to shoot a teacher at a school in Leiden last week has been released from custody by a court in The Hague.

The youth allegedly made the threat from Costa Rica where he had been living since October. He returned home last week and was arrested on his arrival at Schipol.

The youth has been allowed out of jail on condition he hands over his passport, lives with his parents and cooperates with the authorities.

American

The threat led to the closure of all secondary schools in Leiden last month and a major security operation. Another youth was also arrested in connection with the incident but released after two nights in custody.

The youth’s lawyer Rens Charité told news agency ANP the message was placed on the internet by an American backpacker whom the boy met in his hostel.

‘He spoke with the backpacker about his private life. The backpacker placed the message and my client did not know anything about it,’ the lawyer said. ‘He did react to the message on the forum in Dutch. He should have distanced himself from it but did not. He embroidered on that first threat.’