Credit: DisneyA report has shed light on a terror threat made against Disneyland Resort.
Disney’s theme parks are known for their tight security, but external threats still pose a concern. In the past, the company has temporarily closed its parks in response to major terrorist attacks, including after 9/11 and the November 2015 attacks in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.
For the sake of safety, guests aren’t always aware of the extent of Disney’s security operations. According to a recent report by News6, this extends to potential terror threats made directly against the parks.
Terrorist Threat Against Disneyland, Revealed
In the mid-1990s, Disneyland Park became the center of a chilling terrorism scare.
A VHS tape mailed anonymously to the Southern California theme park prompted an immediate federal response, involving the FBI, FEMA, and other agencies. The contents were bizarre, ominous, and alarming enough to trigger a counterterrorism investigation.
The footage showed someone in rubber gloves handling glass jars and removing foil-wrapped items from a freezer. Superimposed text included phrases like “NERVE GAS” and “DEAD GUEST,” along with imagery of Disneyland’s parking lot, a clock, and a calendar displaying April 14, 1995. Authorities took the threat seriously, though no attack occurred.
The timing raised further concerns. Just weeks earlier, a sarin gas attack by a Japanese cult killed over a dozen people in Tokyo. Days after Disneyland received the tape, the Oklahoma City bombing claimed 168 lives. President Clinton later confirmed that federal teams had quietly deployed to prepare for a possible event.
In response, Disneyland tightened security measures over the Easter weekend, including the introduction of bag checks—something that is now routine. Years later, journalist Mike DeForest filed a Freedom of Information Act request to learn more, though the FBI warned it could take years to process due to the volume and sensitivity.
Surprisingly, the tape had already resurfaced online. A collector named Todd Werkhoven discovered the VHS at a Goodwill store in Portland, Oregon, and posted it to his YouTube channel. “It just felt very heavy and ominous,” he told News6, recalling his shock at what he’d unknowingly unearthed.
History of Terror Threats Against Disney Parks
As per a report from the Washington Post in April 1995, there was a debate in the administration about whether it was appropriate to publicly discuss the Disneyland incident. There were fears that this would inspire similar false alarms. Authorities also didn’t want to “send teams scrambling around the country every weekend.” Federal officials also confirmed that “popular attractions such as Disneyland often receive anonymous threats.”
This has proven true in recent years.
The perpetrator behind the tragic 2016 Pulse Nightclub attack in Orlando initially scouted Disney World as his target but was deterred by the heavy presence of both uniformed and plainclothes security. Determining the theme park to be too well-guarded, he redirected his plans to Pulse, where he carried out the devastating mass shooting.
Meanwhile, in 2022, a former cast member was arrested for previously issuing a bomb threat to fellow Disney World employees.