Threats made to Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge and other HBCUs across the United States on Thursday were fake, the FBI said Friday.
The agency referred to the threat as a "hoax" in a statement and said it had “no information to indicate a credible threat.”
"The FBI takes these threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk," the statement said." While we have no information to indicate a credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention.
"We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately."
Southern will remain closed through the weekend after officials called a lockdown Thursday around 11 a.m. due to a “potential threat.” They lifted the order less than two hours later, telling students and staff to leave or remain off campus. Around 2 p.m., officials said students living on campus could return but “enhanced security measures” were still in place.
At least seven historically Black colleges and universities across the South also received threats. Many cancelled classes and events for the next few days while authorities investigate.
The threats to HBCUs come a day after Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed while speaking on a Utah college campus.
Louisiana Rep. Troy Carter, a Democrat, said in a statement that he was “outraged and deeply disturbed” by Thursday’s threats.
“These reprehensible acts are not only an attack on institutions of higher learning — they are an attack on our history, our culture, and the promise of opportunity that HBCUs represent for generations of students,” Carter said.
The last time HBCU campuses faced collective threats was in 2022, when at least 19 schools received bomb threats, which were eventually linked to a juvenile prank caller.
