Howard University Receives Another Bomb Threat During Black History Month

Classes resume at Howard University after another bomb threat forced students and faculty to shelter-in-place Monday morning. Howard is one of more than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities that have received bomb threats this month; this is the school’s fourth threat in just over six weeks.

The school previously received threats on Jan. 4, Jan. 31, and Feb. 1, according to the Washington Post.

“A shelter-in-place order has been issued following a bomb threat against the main campus,” said a tweet from Howard’s Department of Public Safety Monday. “All students and employees are not permitted to leave facilities until an all-clear order has been communicated by way of the Bison S.A.F.E. mobile app, text message, or email to your university-issued email address.”

Metropolitan Police Department cleared the campus that afternoon, CNN reports.

Seven predominately Black elementary and high schools in Washington D.C. also received bomb threats and were evacuated last Wednesday.

Here’s more from the Post:

It comes amid several other bomb threats targeting historically Black colleges and universities since Jan. 4. At least two dozen campuses said they have been threatened. Bombs have not found at any of the locations, officials said.

Howard, one of the country’s largest HBCUs, has been targeted on four separate occasions — Jan. 4, Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and Monday.

The FBI has launched an investigation into the threats and, on Feb. 2, said as many as six juveniles are suspected to be involved.

Bomb threats were also made against eight D.C. public high schools and charter schools Wednesday. Authorities said they did not find anything hazardous at the schools. D.C. police said Thursday two teenagers had been arrested in connection with the incidents.

“We’ve had these challenges before,” Howard University President Wayne Frederick said, according to CNN, “Since I’ve been here (as a student) in 1988, it has not been this widespread and also, I think, this overt.”