University of Texas bomb threats force campus evacuation (UPDATE)
The University of Texas Tower on September 19, 2009 in Austin, Texas.
Students at the University of Texas in Austin were given 90 minutes to leave campus this morning. In a message to students, university officials said a man had called in bomb threats, the American-Statesman reported. Officials warned that the man claimed to be affiliated with Al Qaeda. He said that bombs would go off within 90 minutes.
A message posted on the University of Texas website urges everyone to get off of campus: "Evacuation due to threats on campus. Immediately evacuate ALL buildings and get as far away as possible." But after the 90 minutes had passed, no bombs went off or were found, and a bomb squad was never called, ABC News reported.
More from GlobalPost: When the BRICs Crumble
On Twitter, UT Austin later posted: "Decision to resume operations&classes will come shortly." A student responded that the cell phone towers are "more packed than game day." And a UT spokesman told USA Today that officials are still working with police to make sure the campus is safe.
Meanwhile, North Dakota State University in Fargo was also evacuated this morning due to a bomb threat. "NDSU is requiring all employees and students to leave campus by 10:15 a.m.," an emergency alert read today, the Star Tribune reported. No other information about the bomb threat at the NDSU campus was provided. It's not clear if the threats are related.
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?