Bomb threats at Elizabeth City State, Norfolk State bring number against HBCUs to 57 this year
Elizabeth City State University got a bomb threat Friday morning, prompting leaders to evacuate the campus. Norfolk State University in Virginia was locked down with students and staff asked to shelter in place after a threat there, too.
The threat comes against a backdrop of a series of threats against historically Black colleges and universities.
Last week, Fayetteville State University briefly canceled classes after a similar threat. That was later determined to be unfounded.
The FBI is investigating more than 50 similar threats nationwide since the beginning of the year.
"The FBI is continuing to aggressively investigate the ongoing nationwide bomb threats targeting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, houses of worship, and other faith-based and academic institutions," the agency said Friday.
"The bomb threats have been made in phone calls, email, instant messages, and anonymous online posts. FBI agents from multiple field offices are conducting hundreds of interviews and gathering a variety of electronic evidence for analysis.
"This investigation is of the highest priority for the Bureau and involves 31 FBI field offices that are actively working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to identify those involved."
None of the investigations to date have turned up an explosive device on campus.
"It is not an accident it is happening during Black History Month. We have heard time and time again voices speaking out against all Americans knowing Black history and knowing the experience of African Americans," said Adriane Lentz-Smith, a professor and historian at Duke University.
"The FBI takes all threats seriously, and we are committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating these threats. We would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious or have information about potential threats to report it to law enforcement immediately, call 1-800-CALL FBI or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov," FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch said.
