At least six historically black colleges and universities across the United States received bomb threats Monday and were in lockdown as a result.
Albany State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Bowie State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, and Southern University and A&M College all released statements or confirmed to the Washington Examiner that they received threats Monday morning.
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“The FBI is aware of the series of bomb threats around the country, and we are working with our law enforcement partners to address any potential threats. As always, we would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious to report it to law enforcement immediately,” the FBI said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
All six universities locked down their campuses and had police and public safety officials conduct investigations. Many of them also canceled classes and mandated that students stay in their dorms while authorities swept the campus.
The threats appeared to occur early in the morning at most of the HBCUs. Howard University sent out an alert to students saying it received the bomb threat around 4 a.m. A spokesperson for Delaware State University said it received the threat sometime before 7 a.m. Other institutions did not specify a time to the Washington Examiner but said the threat occurred early in the morning.
So far, none of the institutions have reported bombs being discovered on campus. A representative from Delaware State University confirmed that local police completed an investigation of the campus and found no bomb. A spokesperson for the Washington Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to the Washington Examiner that police swept Howard University early Monday and did not find hazardous material.
Judson University, which is not an HBCU, also reported a bomb threat Monday. Police subsequently cleared the campus.
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It is unclear if the threats were related to each other. At least eight HBCUs received bomb threats on Jan. 4, the Washington Post reported. Howard University was among the institutions that received a threat. None of the institutions found a bomb after the Jan. 4 threat.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this report listed Judson University as an HBCU. It is not. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
