Students at Howard University’s Washington D.C. campus were recently forced to exit their school as they received their second bomb threat in just 48 hours.
In the early morning of Aug. 26, students and staff at the prominent HBCU were forced to evacuate the East and West Towers of their school residence hall following a threat they received a short while before 2:30 a.m.
Along with the campus security, the Metropolitan Police Department was able to inspect the grounds using canines and technology in order to look for any hidden explosives; they were unable to find anything and eventually cleared the buildings about three hours after the threat was made. As of now, no arrests have been made although Howard University claimed that the police may be able to find out where the call was made, according to NBC News.
“I want to extend my appreciation and admiration, especially to our students, for your continued understanding during the great difficulty of bomb threats against our campus,” wrote the Howard University president, Wayne A.I. Frederick, in a public letter. “People who love and care about them, parents, university employees, alumni, and so many others, have had to wrestle with anxiety about the veracity of another terrorist act.”
In response, Howard University students were able to come together later on Friday to show their solidarity against the latest threats to their school. Gathering outdoors on campus grounds, the students were able to reflect on the events of the early hours of the day. The latest bomb threat marks the eighth one that Howard University has received in the year so far.
The university isn’t the only school to be targeted as 57 HBCUs have received bomb threats through anonymous online posts, phone calls, text messages and emails in 2022. According to CNN, on the first day of Black History Month, many of the schools were forced to lock down or delay classes after at least 18 of the nation’s HBCUs were targeted with a threat.
In response, the Biden Administration appointed the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces in investigating the threats. Investigating since Feb. 02, the bureau still has yet to make any arrests despite having more than 30 FBI field offices across the nation working on the case.
“This isn’t about resilience and grit,” said President Frederick in his letter. “We require extra resources from all law enforcement agencies directed towards solving this ongoing threat and bringing those who perpetrate its negative effects to full justice under the law.”
