Sept. 11 (UPI) — Multiple historically black colleges and universities in the South locked down on Thursday morning amid potential threats that various law enforcement agencies are investigating.
Alabama State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Virginia State University, Hampton University in Virginia, Clark Atlanta University in Georgia and Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana locked down after receiving possible threats of an unknown nature.
Spelman College in Atlanta did not receive any threats but locked down out of caution.
Officials at Alabama State said they received “terroristic threats” and locked down the campus, which has since been lifted.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the university immediately suspended campus operations and acted swiftly in close coordination with law enforcement to assess the situation and ensure the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff and the broader ASU community,” President Quinton Ross Jr. said in a statement.
“The safety of our Hornet family has always been and remains our highest priority.”
Normal operations are to resume Friday, the school said Thursday night.
Officials at Virginia State said they had received a threat and went into lockdown, which has also since been lifted.
“Let us be clear: these threats are not random. They are targeted attacks on institutions that have long stood as pillars of excellence, empowerment and progress,” Virginia State University President Makola Abdullah said in a letter addressed to the Trojan Family.
“To those who seek to silence or scare us: we will not be intimidated,” he said. “For over a century, Virginia State University and other HBCUs have stood as a beacon of knowledge, excellence and resilience. Today’s events only reaffirm our commitment to providing a safe and empowering environment for our students, faculty and staff.”
Virginia State officials had informed students, faculty and staff in a message that campus police were working with local, state and federal law enforcement to determine if the threat was credible.
Hampton ceased operations and announced classes would be canceled through Friday. In a statement published online by the school, they said the FBI had no information indicating the threat was credible, and that they would be implementing a phased return to normal operations.
Other colleges and universities have announced that classes and school-related activities are canceled through the weekend.
No incidents or injuries have been reported after the HBCUs received threats, which have plagued many colleges and universities amid hoaxes and swatting incidents so far this school year.
Several HBCUs in 2022 were among at least 57 colleges and universities that received bomb threats made through phone calls, emails, messages and anonymous online posts, according to the FBI.
Thursday’s threats came a day after conservative provocateur and activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a Wednesday afternoon event at Utah Valley University in Orem.
The schools received the threats on the same day a bomb threat was emailed to the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. Like the threats made to the HBSUs, the threat targeting the DNC was false.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.