Columbine High School evacuated, no bomb found

DENVER, March 1 (Reuters) An unidentified male seeking media attention made several bomb threats today to Columbine High School, scene of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, forcing police to evacuate students.

Bomb squads conducted several sweeps of the school with bomb-sniffing dogs but found no evidence of explosives, Jefferson County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Shires said. Shires said he did not know the nature of the threats because the caller did not speak to police.

''He wanted media attention. He asked that CNN come out,'' Shires told Reuters.

Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher during a shooting rampage at the suburban Colorado school on April 20, 1999.

The teens then turned the guns on themselves, bringing the death toll to 15 and making it the deadliest shooting rampage ever at a U.S. school.

The unidentified male phoned in the threat to the Columbine High School office at about 9:30 a.m. local time (1630 GMT) and subsequently made several more calls, Jefferson County sheriff's spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said.

She said the school was evacuated immediately and the 1,700 students had been excused for the day.

''I am not in the position to be specific but some of the content (of the call) was disturbing,'' Kelley said.

She said Columbine gets numerous threats but that the school was evacuated because of the disturbing nature of today's calls.

''Right now there are bomb dogs going through the school.

We're still doing a sweep but have found no evidence to support the threats,'' Kelley said, adding that it was ''still an ongoing investigation.'' The 1999 Columbine shooting stunned much of America and prompted a debate over gun control, violence in schools and the influence of violent video games on children.

Harris and Klebold were fascinated by guns, explosives and violent video games and had carefully planned their attack on Columbine.

Reuters DH VP0120