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Idaho police have distanced themselves from claims that the unsolved murder of four students poses no danger to the public, saying: “There is a threat out there still.”
Officials in the small college town of Moscow had insisted that there was “no imminent threat to the community at large”, despite identifying no suspects.
Investigators do not yet know who killed Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves with an “edged weapon” in the small hours of Sunday morning.
On Tuesday, Moscow police chief James Fry admitted that the killer could still be at large, partially walking back the department’s previous statements.
Asked at a press conference how he could be sure there was no danger, Mr Fry said: “That’s kind of unknown… we still believe it’s a targeted attack, but the reality is, there’s still a person out there who committed horrible, horrible crimes.
“So there is a threat out there still, possibly. We don’t know it’s going to be to anybody else. But we all have to be aware of our surroundings and make sure that we’re watching out for each other.”
He expressed regret over the limited information given by police over the preceding two days, saying: “I probably should have been up here a day or so ago, but I’m here now.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.