Arrest Made in Falls Church City Schools
Bomb Threat Case

(May 4, 2005)

FALLS CHURCH, VA – The Falls Church City Police and the Jakarta Metropolitan Police conducted a joint investigation of Falls Church City’s bomb threat case that occurred in February of this year, resulting in the arrest of Emelia Karolina, a resident of Jakarta, Indonesia.

Karolina was charged under a terrorism statute in Indonesia and will be prosecuted in Indonesia. Colonel Petrus Reinhard Golose, head of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police department’s Cyber Crime division, traveled to Falls Church to obtain sworn statements from the victims of the bomb threat and to meet with Falls Church Police School Resource Officer Steve Rau and Falls Church Police Detective Jennifer Elliott to close the investigation. Karolina will go on trial later this summer. On February 1, 2005 the City of Falls Church opened their entire school system three hours late for a bomb threat that was received via e-mail. The case that encompassed the bomb threat started on December 16, 2004 as a threat that was case-specific to one victim. After receiving these threats in the form of faxes, the threats quickly escalated to numerous, non-specific e-mail threats that targeted the City’s school system. Investigation of the case led School Resource Officer Steve Rau and Detective Jennifer Elliott to believe the suspect was located in Jakarta, Indonesia. After developing an excellent suspect, the Falls Church Police Officers established a line of communication with Colonel Golose and worked the case with him. Assistance from the Diplomatic Security Service and the Electronic Crimes Division of the US Secret Service proved to be invaluable in working this case and creating the contact with Colonel Golose. The FBI also assisted with a letter that was received via the United States Postal Service that also contained threats and the Airport Authority and the K-9 unit assisted in sweeping the schools on the morning of the threats.

Falls Church Det. Jennifer Elliott (l) and Captain Matt Sergent (r) present Jakarta Police Captain Petrus  Reinhard Golose with a plaque featuring the Falls  Church City Police Department uniform patch. The two  agencies worked together on the school bomb threat  investigation that led to an arrest in Indonesia.

Cooperation between the Indonesia Government, Diplomat Security Service, Electronic Crimes Division of the US Secret Service, FBI and the Falls Church Police Department lead to a successful conclusion to this case.