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New bomb threats disrupt campus activities at several HBCUs

An entrance sign near the main gate of Howard University on October 25, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
Drew Angerer
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Getty Images
An entrance sign near the main gate of Howard University on October 25, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

Updated February 1, 2022 at 8:26 AM ET

New bomb threats targeted multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on Tuesday, with Howard University, Edward Waters University and Morgan State University saying they received threats of violence.

Howard gave an "all clear" notice at 7:30 a.m. ET, after the latest threat triggered a shelter-in-place order around 3 a.m.

Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Fla., said it also received a threat early Tuesday morning.

"The vicious and racially motivated targeting of Florida's first HBCU is extremely unsettling for our community," university president A. Zachary Faison, Jr. tweeted. "Law enforcement is currently investigating this threat and your safety is our paramount concern."

Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md., said access to campus was closed on Tuesday morning due to a bomb threat. It asked all on campus to shelter in place.

Bomb threats were made against at least six HBCUs on Monday, forcing officials to order lockdowns and/or cancel classes. By early afternoon, many of them issued all-clear notices.

The schools receiving threats included Albany State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Bowie State University, Delaware State University, Howard University and Southern University and A&M College, according to spokespeople, statements and social media posts.

Threats are being investigated by local and state police, along with federal law enforcement.

"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," the bureau said in a statement. "As always, we would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious to report it to law enforcement immediately."

Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department and Howard University's police force issued an "all-clear" for the campus at 6:22 a.m. following a bomb threat made about two hours earlier, according to a university spokesperson.

Carlos Holmes, a spokesperson for Delaware State University, said police had completed their search of the entire campus by early afternoon and hadn't found a bomb.

Bethune-Cookman University and Southern University and A&M College both went into lockdown, with Southern also canceling classes. Bethune-Cookman later lifted its lockdown, and Southern issued an all-clear.

Albany State University closed its campus and postponed classes and operations. Law enforcement later issued an all-clear.

Bowie State University said its campus was also closed but that students would attend classes online and employees would work virtually. It lifted its shelter-in-place order by early afternoon.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.