Charlottetown police have identified a person of interest in a shooting threat made on the internet against Charlottetown Rural High School this week.

Police said a male teenager from the Charlottetown area has been questioned about the case and they have seized a computer system. Police would not say whether the person questioned is a student at the school.

"We can confirm that it was a hoax and there was no real intent to carry through with the threat that was made," Deputy Chief Gary McGuigan said Friday.

McGuigan said the priority was initially to identify the source of the threat and determine its validity to decrease the level of anxiety for students, staff and parents at the high school.

"We'll be looking in the very near future at what charges are available to us and what punishments there are," he said. "Hoping that people will realize that there are consequences for this type of behavior and that you're not anonymous sitting behind your computer."

Police received a complaint Tuesday evening of a threatened shooting at Charlottetown Rural. The complaint was tracked to a Facebook posting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, warning people to hide.

Classes went ahead Wednesday, but access to the school was controlled and police were present throughout the day.

Police said they are conducting a forensic exam on the seized computer and are considering criminal charges of uttering threats.