Campus Alert Archive
A-State

Simultaneous bomb threats at the library and student union; both cleared with no device

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ARbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
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On July 20, 2024, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro sent two text alerts within two minutes: one at 7:15 AM CDT warning of a bomb threat at Dean B. Ellis Library, and a second at 7:17 AM CDT for the Carl R. Reng Student Union. Police and K-9 units cleared both buildings and issued an all-clear at approximately 10:00 AM CDT; no credible threat was found. The university noted Jonesboro's 911 center had received an 'unusually high number' of swatting reports during the preceding week.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Arkansas State University
Public R2 · AR
All A-State cases →
A-State Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how A-State says it will use A-State Emergency Notification Service: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimKAIT-8 and KATV quoted this verbatim as the A-State Alert text sent at 7:15 AM CDT on July 20, 2024 regarding the Dean B. Ellis Library bomb threat141 chars
URGENT A bomb threat for Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University is under investigation. Evacuate immediately and avoid this area.
Verbatim text confirmed by multiple local news outlets (KAIT-8, KATV, THV11) that directly quoted this A-State Alert; all sources reproduce the 'URGENT' prefix and the specific library name
Arkansas State is in the Central Time zone (CDT, UTC-5 during summer); Jonesboro is in northeast Arkansas.
Notable that the alert begins with 'URGENT' rather than 'A-State Alert:'
INITIAL ALERTSMS+2 min
Verified verbatimKAIT-8 and KATV quoted this verbatim as the A-State Alert text sent at 7:17 AM CDT on July 20, 2024 regarding the Student Union bomb threat133 chars
URGENT A bomb threat for Student Union in Arkansas State University is under investigation. Evacuate immediately and avoid this area.
Verbatim text confirmed by multiple local news outlets (KAIT-8, KATV) that directly quoted this second A-State Alert; sent two minutes after the library alert
The near-simultaneous dual-building threats were consistent with the regional swatting surge ASU acknowledged in its communication.
Uses 'Student Union' rather than the full 'Carl R. Reng Student Union' name, consistent with SMS brevity
ALL CLEARSMS+2h 44m
Wording not preserved
A all clear message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

URGENT A bomb threat for Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University is under investigation. Evacuate immediately and avoid this area.

  • Sourceabsent5/25

    Final assessment

    A strong majority finds no sender or branded signature; URGENT alone does not name the issuer, outweighing reads that counted the institution name.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names "Arkansas State University" as the issuing institution.
    2. absent: No sender, agency, or branded signature appears, only "URGENT".
    3. absent: Opens "URGENT" with no sender name, agency, or branded signature.
    4. absent: No sender or branded signature appears; "URGENT" alone does not name the issuer.
    5. present: Names "Arkansas State University" as the institution issuing the warning.
    6. absent: No sender, branded signature, or responding authority is identified in the text.
    7. present: Names "Arkansas State University", identifying the institution sending it.
    8. absent: No sender tag or agency named; "Arkansas State University" appears only as the threat location.
    9. absent: Opens with "URGENT" but no branded signature, sender, or named authority appears.
    10. absent: "URGENT" is a severity tag; no sender, branded tag, or authority is named.
    11. absent: No sender, branded signature, or issuing authority is named in the text.
    12. absent: No sender, branded signature, or authority is named in the text.
    13. present: Names "Arkansas State University" as the institution issuing the alert.
    14. absent: No sender tag, branded signature, or responding authority is named in the text.
    15. present: Names "Arkansas State University", identifying the institution as sender.
    16. absent: No sender, branded signature, or authority is named; only "URGENT" prefaces the text.
    17. absent: No sender, branded signature, or issuing authority is named in the text.
    18. absent: No sender tag, university name, or agency signature appears in the text.
    19. absent: No sender, branded signature, or responding authority is named in the text.
    20. absent: No sender, branded signature, or issuing authority is named; "URGENT" alone is not a source.
    21. absent: No sender, branded signature, or responding authority is named, only "URGENT".
    22. absent: No sender, agency, or branded signature is identified in the text.
    23. absent: No branded signature, university name, or named agency identifies the sender; only "URGENT" appears.
    24. absent: No sender, branded signature, or agency is named, only "URGENT".
    25. absent: No sender name, branded signature, or responding authority is identified; "URGENT" is generic.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree the hazard is stated in this bomb threat alert.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names the specific hazard "A bomb threat".
    2. present: Names the hazard, "A bomb threat".
    3. present: It names "A bomb threat", a specific threat.
    4. present: It names "A bomb threat", a specific hazard.
    5. present: Names "A bomb threat", a specific threat.
    6. present: Names the specific threat "A bomb threat".
    7. present: Names "A bomb threat", a specific threat.
    8. present: Names "A bomb threat", a specific threat.
    9. present: Names the specific hazard "A bomb threat".
    10. present: Names the specific threat "A bomb threat".
    11. present: Names the threat "A bomb threat".
    12. present: Names the hazard as "A bomb threat".
    13. present: Names the specific hazard "A bomb threat".
    14. present: Names the hazard specifically as a "bomb threat".
    15. present: Names the hazard specifically as "A bomb threat".
    16. present: Names the hazard as "A bomb threat".
    17. present: Names the hazard specifically as "A bomb threat".
    18. present: Names "A bomb threat", a specific threat.
    19. present: Names "A bomb threat", a specific threat.
    20. present: Names the specific hazard, a "bomb threat".
    21. present: Names the hazard as "A bomb threat".
    22. present: Names "A bomb threat", a specific threat.
    23. present: It names a specific threat, "A bomb threat".
    24. present: It names "A bomb threat", a specific threat.
    25. present: Names the hazard, "A bomb threat".
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that a specific location is named.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    2. present: Gives location, "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    3. present: It locates it at "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University", a specific building.
    4. present: It specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    5. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library", a specific building.
    6. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    7. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library".
    8. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University", a building.
    9. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    10. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    11. present: Locates it at "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    12. present: Locates it at "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    13. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library".
    14. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    15. present: Locates it at "Dean B. Ellis Library".
    16. present: States location: "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    17. present: Gives location "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    18. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    19. present: Locates it at "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University", a specific building.
    20. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    21. present: Locates it at "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    22. present: Specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    23. present: It locates it at "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
    24. present: It specifies "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University", a named building.
    25. present: States the location, "Dean B. Ellis Library in Arkansas State University".
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree protective guidance, evacuate immediately, is directed to recipients.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    2. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    3. present: It instructs "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
    4. present: It instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    5. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    6. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    7. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    8. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
    9. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
    10. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
    11. present: Instructs "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    12. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    13. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    14. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
    15. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    16. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    17. present: Instructs "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
    18. present: Instructs "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    19. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
    20. present: Instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    21. present: Instructs recipients "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    22. present: Instructs "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    23. present: It instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
    24. present: It instructs recipients to "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area".
    25. present: Instructs recipients, "Evacuate immediately and avoid this area", protective actions.
  • Timepresent24/25

    Final assessment

    A near-unanimous majority finds recency via immediately and under investigation; one dissent says these lack a clear time cue.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Conveys recency with "immediately" and "is under investigation".
    2. absent: No clock time or date, and "under investigation" lacks a clear recency cue.
    3. present: It says "Evacuate immediately", a recency cue.
    4. present: It says "immediately", an immediacy cue.
    5. present: Says "immediately", an immediacy cue.
    6. present: "immediately" conveys immediacy/recency.
    7. present: Says "Evacuate immediately", an immediacy cue.
    8. present: Says "Evacuate immediately", an immediacy cue.
    9. present: Conveys urgency with "immediately", a recency cue.
    10. present: Says "immediately", an immediacy cue.
    11. present: Uses recency cue "immediately".
    12. present: Says "immediately", a recency cue.
    13. present: Uses the cue "immediately", indicating immediacy.
    14. present: Conveys urgency with "Evacuate immediately".
    15. present: Opens with "URGENT" and says "immediately", conveying immediacy.
    16. present: Uses "immediately", a recency/immediacy cue.
    17. present: Conveys urgency/recency with "URGENT" and "Evacuate immediately".
    18. present: Uses "immediately", a recency cue urging instant action.
    19. present: Says "immediately", an immediacy cue.
    20. present: Conveys urgency and recency with "immediately".
    21. present: Conveys urgency with "immediately".
    22. present: Says "immediately", an immediacy cue.
    23. present: It says "Evacuate immediately", conveying immediacy.
    24. present: It says "Evacuate immediately", a recency reference.
    25. present: Says "immediately", conveying immediacy.
  • Impactabsent4/25

    Final assessment

    Absent by a 21 to 4 majority: a bomb threat under investigation with an evacuate order states no potential harm or consequence; minority read the urgent evacuation as implying danger.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: Names a bomb threat under investigation and orders evacuation but states no consequence or severity.
    2. absent: Reports a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no harm or consequence.
    3. present: It reports a bomb threat and orders immediate evacuation marked urgent, with the evacuate-immediately implying danger.
    4. present: It names a bomb threat and orders immediate evacuation framed as urgent, implying a danger requiring escape.
    5. absent: States a bomb threat is under investigation and to evacuate but describes no potential harm.
    6. absent: It names a bomb threat and says evacuate but states no harm or severity.
    7. absent: Reports a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no potential harm or severity.
    8. absent: Names a bomb threat and says evacuate but does not state a consequence or potential harm.
    9. absent: Names a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no consequence or potential harm beyond the hazard name.
    10. absent: Reports a bomb threat and says evacuate but states no specific harm or consequence beyond naming it.
    11. absent: Names a bomb threat and tells people to evacuate immediately but states no consequence or severity.
    12. absent: Names a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no potential harm or severity.
    13. absent: Names a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no potential consequence or severity.
    14. absent: Reports a bomb threat and to evacuate immediately but states no consequence or severity.
    15. absent: A bomb threat is named with urgent evacuation guidance but no stated harm or severity of the device.
    16. absent: Names a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no explicit harm or potential consequence.
    17. absent: Names a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no harm or how serious it is.
    18. absent: Names a bomb threat and evacuate but does not state potential harm or severity.
    19. absent: It names a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no potential harm or severity of the threat.
    20. absent: Reports a bomb threat and to evacuate but states no harm or consequence.
    21. present: Reports a bomb threat and orders immediate evacuation, with the evacuation implying danger to people.
    22. absent: It names a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no potential harm or severity of the threat.
    23. absent: Reports a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no potential harm or severity.
    24. present: Bomb threat with instruction to evacuate immediately implies serious danger to those present.
    25. absent: It names a bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no potential consequence or severity.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

Two near-simultaneous bomb threat alerts disrupted Arkansas State University's summer operations on July 20, 2024, with A-State sending texts at 7:15 AM CDT and 7:17 AM CDT targeting the Dean B. Ellis Library and Carl R. Reng Student Union, respectively. According to KAIT-8, law enforcement and K-9 units responded to both buildings and found no credible threat. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported the all-clear was issued at 9:59 AM CDT after a roughly two-hour sweep. Arkansas State's communications noted the Jonesboro E-911 center had received an 'unusually high number' of swatting reports over the preceding week, placing this incident in the context of a regional surge in hoax threats. THV11 described the incident as an 'overnight bomb threat' due to the early morning timing on a Saturday. The dual-building, two-minute-apart threat pattern closely resembles the coordinated July 2022 North Dakota campus bomb threats, suggesting a similar tactic of rapid-fire calls to generate maximum disruption.
Outcome
Law enforcement and K-9 units searched both the Dean B. Ellis Library and the Carl R. Reng Student Union and found no credible threat or explosive devices. An all-clear was issued around 9:59 to 10:00 AM CDT. The incident was part of a regional surge in swatting reports in Jonesboro that week.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Campus gives the 'all clear' following bomb threat at Arkansas State University - KAIT-8
    kait8.com
    archived copy
  2. News
    ASU issues all-clear after bomb threats investigated at library, student union - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
    arkansasonline.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    Arkansas State University receives overnight bomb threat - THV11
    thv11.com
    archived copy
  4. News
    Update - Bomb Threat at ASU - Jonesboro Right Now
    jonesbororightnow.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Arkansas State University: Simultaneous bomb threats at the library and student union; both cleared with no device." Incident of July 20, 2024. Added May 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/arkansas-state-university-bomb-threat-2024-07-20/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
bomb-threatfalse-alarmarkansasswattingdual-buildingsummerevacuationk9-sweep2024
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion