Los Angeles defends mass school closures after threats jihadi attack

Los Angeles has defended its controversial decision to shut more than 1,000 schools after America’s two biggest education authorities received threats of a large-scale jihadi attack with guns and bombs.

The threat was also made to New York City — which dismissed the warning as an amateurish hoax.

But in an extremely rare move, Los Angeles reacted by shutting down the entire school district, reflecting the lingering unease in southern California following the terrorist attack that killed 14 people at an office lunch two weeks ago in San Bernardino.