Howard University, Other HBCUs Receive Bomb Threats On Same Day

WASHINGTON, DC — The Metropolitan Police Department notified officials at Howard University on Tuesday that someone had called in a bomb threat at the university in Northwest D.C. Other historical Black colleges and universities across the country received similar bomb threats.

Howard’s Department of Public Safety and D.C. police responded to the bomb threat Tuesday afternoon and searched the area.

The person claimed two bombs had been placed inside the school’s administration building on 6th Street, WTOP reported.

"The perimeter was secured and searched," Howard University said Tuesday afternoon. “No active devices were found and the area has been cleared.”

None of the universities that received a threat had found an actual bomb or suspicious package or attack as of Wednesday morning, according to reports. Many of the colleges ordered full evacuations for the students on campus during the winter break.

Bomb threats also were reported at Norfolk State University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluffs, Florida Memorial University, North Carolina Central University, Xavier University in Louisiana and Prairie View A&M University in Texas.

Norfolk State University said its police department completed an investigation of a bomb threat received Tuesday evening. Students were secured in a hotel and dorms remained closed as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the university said.

The bomb threats at the HBCUs came after TikTok posts hinted at potential shootings at public schools across the country last month. Police increased their presence at schools across the D.C. area on Friday, Dec. 17 in response to the TikTok posts. No shootings or other violence were reported at schools in connection to the posts.