Howard University and Spelman College among HBCUs that received bomb threats on Tuesday
At least nine historically Black colleges and universities received bomb threats on Tuesday that were unfounded, but still had students, faculty and staff evacuate campuses.
Spelman College, Howard University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Norfolk State University, Texas Southern University, Prairie View A & M University, Florida Memorial University, North Carolina Central University and Xavier University of Louisiana all received threats that have since been cleared.
Howard University tweeted the coast was clear Tuesday at 4:52 p.m. ET after the university's public safety department and Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. secured the perimeter and found no active devices.
All clear. Howard’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) and MPD responded to a potential bomb threat on campus this afternoon. The perimeter was secured and searched. No active devices were found and the area has been cleared.
— Howard University (@HowardU) January 4, 2022
According to WDSU, the New Orleans Police Department were investigating a "very real" bomb threat against Xavier University on Tuesday and the FBI joined in the search.
North Carolina Central University said in a press release they received a bomb threat on campus at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday and were one of at least 7 HBCUs who received the threat.
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"The campus was immediately placed on lockdown and alert notifications were issued to students and employees," the release said.
NCCU said the campus was cleared at 9:15 p.m. for students to return to their residence halls.
Spelman College tweeted they also received a bomb threat on Tuesday in the Manley College Center, but no devices were found.
On Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, the Department of Public Safety at Spelman and the Atlanta Police Department responded to a potential bomb threat in the Manley College Center. After a thorough search, no devices were found and the building was secured. APD is actively investigating. pic.twitter.com/BtkD9q0zvc
— Spelman College (@SpelmanCollege) January 5, 2022
At this time, it is not known if the bomb threats are connected or racially motivated.
USA TODAY has reached out to the FBI and the HBCUs targeted for comment.
In November, multiple Ivy League schools had similar bomb threats against their campuses and students were evacuated.
Cornell, Columbia, and Brown universities all issued emergency alerts and evacuated buildings on Nov. 7, 2021. The threats were deemed not credible and the campuses were cleared for students and faculty to return.
Celina Tebor contributed to this report.
Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Multiple HBCU colleges across US received bomb threats on Tuesday