Blaine Student Made Fake Bomb Threats Against St. Thomas: Feds

BLAINE, MN — Federal investigators say they have found the source of the fake bomb threats made against the University of St. Thomas several times this year. Ray Ghansham Persaud, 20, was charged with one count threatening to kill, injure or intimidate by means of fire and explosive.

Persaud, a University of St. Thomas student, was arrested Tuesday morning.

"I am very relieved that a suspect has been identified and arrested and that our community is not in danger from these hoax threats," university president Julie Sullivan said in a statement.

"I am extremely saddened to report that the suspect is a third-year undergraduate student at St. Thomas. He is a commuter student who resides in Blaine, Minnesota. He has been trespassed from our St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses, which means that he is prohibited by law from being on St. Thomas property. He has been suspended while we conduct our disciplinary process. If found responsible, he will face immediate expulsion from St. Thomas."

Investigators say on April 17, Persaud called the university and said there was a bomb on campus, specifically mentioning McNeely Hall. He called the University of St. Thomas three times that morning to make bomb threats, police said.

As a result, the university evacuated and closed its entire St. Paul campus, including a child care center located in one of the buildings. The FBI determined the calls came from TextMe, an app that allows users to have multiple telephone numbers, according to a news release.

On Aug. 20, Persaud again called the University of St. Thomas via TextMe and said there was a bomb in the John Roach Center, a classroom building on the St. Paul campus, according to police.

The building which was evacuated and closed for the day.

Investigators say on Sept. 7, Persaud called the University of St. Thomas again and said there were bombs in the O’Shaughnessy Science Center, the John Roach Center, the Anderson Student Center, and the Facilities Design Center. All four buildings were evacuated.

Investigators were able to trace the origin of the Sept. 7, 2019, calls to Persaud's home address in Blaine. He will make his initial appearance Tuesday at 2 p.m.