A city student was the target of an FBI assessment investigation following the closure of Fredericksburg City Public Schools earlier this year, according to emails produced from hyperbole’s recent FOIA request.
The status and results of that investigation, as well as whether or not that student remains enrolled at FCPS, is unknown.
Fredericksburg closed all public school facilities on Friday, March 21st after missing Fairfax 16-year-old Fasihullah Safar allegedly attempted to enter James Monroe High School the previous Wednesday. Safar was located and arrested later that same Friday in Florence, New Jersey after allegedly stealing a vehicle in Stafford County. That vehicle was later recovered out of state.
Emails between police and school staff the week after that incident show that a student at an unnamed city school fell under the FBI’s suspicion after law enforcement discovered that the student lied throughout the investigation and, like Safar, also posed with a firearm on social media.
Fredericksburg Police Department Patrol Captain Crystal Hill informed FCPS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Matthew Eberhardt and Safety and Operations Coordinator / Clerk of the School Board Angela Roenke on Tuesday, March 25th of the FBI’s assessment investigation against the student, telling the administrators the Bureau will “provide safety information to us as they are allowed.”
Hill says that the FPD has flagged the student in their system as an individual that is “known to carry weapons,” but that there is no active local criminal investigation at this time.
“I share this information in case the schools have more leniency regarding his status as a student at [redacted],” Hill wrote.
“If the schools take any action regarding his student status, please share that with us,” Hill added.
According to a fact sheet from the New York University School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice, an assessment investigation is the Bureau’s lowest level of inquiry and requires neither probable cause or reasonable suspicion to initiate. Assessment investigations can be conducted for 30 days without supervisory approval, according to the memorandum.
“Even at the assessment stage, where the FBI can initiate an investigation without any indication of terrorist or criminal activity, it can gather a wide range of information. As evidence of a possible national security threat or crime accumulates, the FBI can use more and more intrusive investigative tools,” that report reads.
During that time, investigators are permitted to use informants or physical surveillance to monitor the subject, question people without revealing their identity as law enforcement and search commercial and government databases, the Brennan Center for Justice says.
The FOIA release also showed that Safar may have made an additional attempt to access James Monroe High School one day earlier than previously reported.
An attachment titled “Recording #12 1.mp4” was sent by Roenke to several law enforcement officers on the afternoon of Friday, March 21st. Her message refers to the video as “almost everything from Tuesday,” with Roenke saying that she would “still need to add him getting on the bus.”
“Tuesday” would have been March 18th, or one day before Safar was reported as having attempted to access JMHS before being confronted by a school resource officer and fleeing the scene.
“Who is he with at 03:52?” Captain Hill asked Roenke in an email on Monday, March 24th. Roenke wasn’t sure and referred Hill to one of the school resource officers for identification.
The email records don’t show or indicate to whom either Hill or Roenke is referring in the video. Safar was not previously reported having attempted to enter a FCPS bus.
A FOIA request for the footage included in Recording #12 was denied due to three exemptions: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), an ongoing investigation and security concerns, or that the requested video may reveal sensitive details related to security camera locations.
The FBI first contacted the Fredericksburg Police Department with concerns about Safar on the evening of Thursday, March 20th, according to an FCPS update that day.
“We believe there are potential safety and security concerns with this individual’s mental state,” the press release read, referring to Safar, who was being sought for trespassing on school property. A second update later stated that there was no direct threat to the Fredericksburg City Public School system.
When asked about the student’s current enrollment status, Fredericksburg City Public Information Officer Caitlyn McGhee stated that FCPS “will not be releasing any student’s information.”
“We suggest reporting on this could be detrimental and request this not be included,” McGhee said.
hyperbole was first to report on the nature of the threat law enforcement suspected Safar posed, which was a story posted to social media depicting the teen holding a firearm. Album art for the song “Invade the Invaders” was placed above the weapon. According to the FOIA emails, police were unable to determine that photograph’s location or if the weapon was real or a replica.
The FOIA release shows that as of March 26th, Safar was located in New Jersey where he is awaiting that jurisdiction’s charges before returning to Virginia to face additional charges in Stafford and the City of Fredericksburg.
hyperbole submitted a FOIA request to the Fredericksburg City Police Department, who will not release any records due to an open investigation and pending litigation. An FOIA request was also submitted to the FBI, who has yet to respond.
