FBI was ‘unable to identify’ YouTube user named Nikolas Cruz who made threat last year

The FBI on Thursday confirmed at the scene of a deadly school shooting that it received information about a YouTube comment last year that threatened similar violence, but the bureau was unable to identify the person who made it. 

FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Lasky said at a news conference in Parkland, Fla., that the FBI was informed of a comment by a user named “Nikolas Cruz” that read: “Im [sic] going to be a professional school shooter.” 

“No other information was included with that comment, which would indicate a time, location or the true identity of the person who made the comment. The FBI conducted database reviews, checks, but was unable to further identify the person who actually made the comment,” Lasky said.

{mosads}BuzzFeed News reported earlier Thursday that a YouTube user named Ben Bennight contacted the bureau last September regarding the comment.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Thursday morning after he allegedly opened fire in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people and injuring more than a dozen others.

Cruz was a former student at the school, but had been kicked and flagged as a threat after he reportedly brought ammunition in his backpack.

Bennight told BuzzFeed that an FBI agent contacted him after Wednesday’s shooting to inquire about the original YouTube comment.

BuzzFeed reported that FBI officials declined to say if they had confirmed that the person operating the YouTube account was the same person taken into custody Wednesday.