UPDATE: Threats made to Niles schools Monday came from foreign country

NILES, Mich. -- Three Niles Community Schools went under a lockdown on Monday after a threat was made to the district and other schools in the area. 

Niles Community Schools released a statement to ABC57 News saying "Three schools, Ballard, Niles High School, and Eastside Connections, were named in a threat that was similar to ones made to other local school districts. Local police have completed their security and safety checks around these schools and all our schools across the district. At this time, they have not found the threat to be credible. Our first priority is to the safety of our students, so we will remain in a lockdown as a precautionary safety measure. School release will be conducted as normal, and any changes will be communicated as quickly as possible."

The Niles Police Department (NPD) released the following statement:

"Today, the NPD was alerted to a disturbing email threat directed at some of the Niles Community Schools. The email threatened acts of violence against several school buildings in the Niles area as well as members of the police department.

Upon receiving notice of the potential threat, Niles Community Schools enacted their protocols designed for such situations, ensuring the safety and security of students and staff. The NPD immediately increased police patrols and presence around all affected school locations.

The NPD, in a joint effort with Google LLC and the Michigan State Police, launched an investigation to trace the origins of the threatening email. Through these efforts, we have pinpointed the source of the email to Nigeria.

We are continuing our investigation to gather more information and assess any connections within the United States. However, based on current findings, we believe the threat of this act being carried out is insignificant.

The NPD takes every threat seriously, and we are dedicated to maintaining a safe environment for our children and school personnel. We urge the community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. We would also like to remind everyone that making threats of violence to our children and learning institutions is a serious criminal act, regardless of whether the individual intends to carry them out and we will pursue anyone involved in these acts to the fullest extent of the law."

The threat on Monday comes days after a bomb threat was made towards Ballard Elementary on March 15. The Niles Police Department said that bomb threat was initially sent to the Michigan City Indiana Police Department's Detective Bureau via email, indicating Ballard Elementary as a target. School officials were told about that threat immediately and students were evacuated immediately. 

The Niles Police Department is still actively conducting a criminal investigation to identify and apprehend the individuals responsible for that false threat on March 15.