Six people were identified by the FBI as persons of interest Wednesday in relation to the spate of bomb threats made against multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities, according to NBC News. Names of the six were not released because they were said to be minors.
Citing a senior law enforcement source, NBC News reported that federal authorities described the juveniles as “savvy” and able to mask the source of their threats with complex technology. The official told NBC that the string of threats was likely racially motivated.
Nearly 20 HBCUs went into lockdown and had increased security presence after receiving bomb threats on Tuesday, the first day of Black History Month.
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Alcorn State University, Arkansas Baptist College, Coppin State, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Harris-Stowe University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Kentucky State University, Mississippi Valley State, Morgan State University, Philander Smith College, Rust College, Spelman College, Tougaloo College, the University of the District of Columbia, and Xavier University were targeted.
The threats came a day after a previous bout of threats were made against another set of HBCUs, including Howard, and weeks after yet another round of threats against Howard, Spelman, and Xavier.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, the FBI said its Joint Terrorism Task Forces is investigating.
“This investigation is of the highest priority for the Bureau and involves more than 20 FBI field offices across the country,” the statement read. “These threats are being investigated as Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism and hate crimes.”
The scare left students uneasy Tuesday, even as school officials deemed the threats to be not credible and reopened campuses.
“Many of my classmates and I have been on edge today,” Enzinne Kalu, a freshman at Howard, told The Daily Beast. “I’ve spoken to many students that feel unsafe, especially on an open campus like Howard’s.”
As of Wednesday, no explosives had been found at the schools, and the FBI said the investigation was ongoing.
