ATLANTA — Federal investigators say one person, a juvenile not identified because of his age, is responsible for bomb threats earlier this year targeting historically Black colleges, including Georgia campuses.
The suspect is too young to face federal hate crime charges, the FBI said this week. Instead, the FBI is working with state prosecutors. Dozens of additional threats of violence remain under investigation and could have originated outside of the U.S., the agency said.
“This individual is under restrictions and monitoring of his online activities,” the FBI said in a release. “Because of the subject’s age, no additional information can be provided.”
Georgia colleges and universities are among those across the country that received the threats, which disrupted campus life but were unfounded. Explosive devices weren’t located, but federal investigators believe the threats were racially motivated.
“These threats are despicable. They are designed to make us feel fearful and vulnerable,” Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell said in a message posted on the college’s website earlier this year.
In February, Spelman, Albany State University and Fort Valley State University all received threats within the same week. The threats led many HBCU students and leaders to push for enhanced security, including requiring students to use their ID to enter some campus buildings, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
At Fort Valley State, located about 30 miles south of Macon, the threat led to a campus lockdown lasting several hours. Campus police, local and state law enforcement agencies searched all campus facilities and issued an all-clear by early afternoon.
Spelman College, near downtown Atlanta, was threatened twice, according to school leaders. In the second instance, the college received a telephone threat at 3 a.m. that a device would explode shortly after noon, officials previously said. No device was found, a spokeswoman said.
The FBI investigated several minors before identifying the one authorities say is responsible for the first set of threats made between Jan. 4 and Feb. 1. That suspect is not linked to other threats targeting at least 19 institutions between Feb. 8 and March 2, the FBI said.
On June 7, another round of threats began, targeting not only 250 colleges and seven HBCUs, along with more than 100 high schools and two junior high schools, according to investigators. Some schools received threats of a bomb or active shooter.
“Hate-fueled and racist threats of violence cause the victims real distress,” the FBI said. “These threats disrupt the learning environment and the education of college students, as well as other citizens. The FBI will not tolerate anyone trying to instill fear in any community, especially one that has experienced violence and threats of violence historically. The FBI will continue to vigorously pursue anyone responsible for these ongoing threats with help from our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels.”
Anyone with information on the threats is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or submit it online at tips.fbi.gov.
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