Chilean police arrested a 22-year-old man on Friday after he threatened online to carry out a massacre at three major universities in Santiago, forcing all three institutions to suspend classes and triggering a nationwide security scare.
The suspect, who identified himself online as a satanic terrorist, was detained at his home in the Lo Espejo commune of southern Santiago by the PDI, Chile investigative police, acting with international cooperation. Officers seized digital evidence from the residence.
Three Universities Targeted
The threats, sent via email to the Universidad Diego Portales, the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (Usach), and the Universidad Alberto Hurtado, warned of armed attacks. All three institutions immediately suspended in-person classes as a precautionary measure, affecting thousands of students and staff.
The arrest came after an intensive investigation involving both domestic and international law enforcement agencies. The PDI confirmed that the digital evidence seized would be used to build the case against the suspect.
A Society on Edge
The incident has struck a nerve in a country already on high alert following months of extreme weather disasters and a series of violent events across Latin America. Chile declared a state of catastrophe in multiple northern provinces after El Niño-driven floods devastated Tocopilla and surrounding areas just days earlier.
Chile mood is one of sharpened vigilance. The threat was stopped, but the fear it generated lingers in a society highly sensitive to security issues.
The arrest highlights the persistent anxiety around public safety in Chile, where school and university violence remains a deeply sensitive topic following the 2015 Trollhättan school attack in Sweden and the 2025 Orebro mass shooting, both involving young attackers targeting educational institutions.
Authorities have not disclosed the suspect motive or whether he had the means to carry out the threatened attacks. The PDI continues its investigation while the universities assess when to resume normal operations.
Sources: BioBioChile; El País Chile; Rio Times; Puranoticia
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