MA Woman Arrested In Boston Children's Bomb Threat: Feds

BOSTON, MA — A Westfield woman has been arrested and charged for making a bomb threat to Boston Children's Hospital, which has been the target of intimidation after a right-wing group drew attention to a health program for transgender children there.

U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said during a Thursday news conference that Catherine Leavy, 37, made the threat while calling hospital staff "sickos." She is facing a single charge of making a false telephonic bomb threat, Rollins said.

In August, Libs of TikTok — which largely targets LGBTQ+ people — drew attention to the hospital's transgender health program. The account also tweeted false information about treatments to young girls. The Boston Children's pediatric and adolescent transgender health program established more than a decade ago is the first of its kind in the U.S.

Boston Children's officials reported a surge in threats of violence toward hospital staff after attention from Libs of TikTok.

"We are working with law enforcement to protect our clinicians, staff, patients, families and the broader Boston Children's community and hold the offenders accountable," the hospital said in an Aug. 16 statement.

The first bomb threat happened two weeks later on Aug. 30. Boston police shut down streets in the Longwood area while searching for any threats. The streets were reopened after about an hour.

The second threat happened Friday morning. Boston police responded to the Longwood Avenue campus just after 11:30 a.m. Friday after a person called in a threat to the hospital.

Leavy was arrested at her home in Westfield Thursday and was being held pending a hearing on Friday.