The campuses of both the University of Texas at Austin and North Dakota State University were evacuated today after bomb threats. Both schools issued orders to evacuate around 9 a.m. CT. At the moment, it's still unclear if the threats were related. According to UT Austin communications officer Rhonda Weldon, the school received a phone call at its main number from a man claiming to be a member of al-Qaeda.
"He spoke with a Middle Eastern accent and said there were bombs placed around campus," Weldon said. The school emptied buildings across campus while a bomb squad conducted an investigation. Nothing suspicious was found, and buildings were reopened around noon. All university operations, except for classes, will resume at 5 p.m.
Students at North Dakota State University in Fargo were ordered to leave campus by 10:15 a.m. after a bomb threat was phoned in. Both the main and downtown campuses were evacuated.
More details on this story as it develops.
[via NY Daily News and USA Today]
