Campus Alert Archive
Luther

A 1:31 A.M. Instagram Threat to 'Kill 80%' of Luther College Students

IAthreat of violenceemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Early on Monday, November 25, 2024, Luther College Security alerted Decorah Police at 1:31 a.m. to Instagram posts threatening violence against the small liberal arts college in Decorah, Iowa. The posts referenced a violent anime series and suggested an intent to kill 80% of the students at Luther. Police identified and arrested 20-year-old Peter Bumba, who admitted to posting the messages; a search of his room and vehicle turned up no weapons, and authorities said there was no ongoing threat.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Luther College
Private Liberal Arts · IA
~1,700 studentsLuther Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction210 chars
Luther Alert: We are aware of an online threat against the college and are working with Decorah Police. Out of caution, remain in your residence, lock doors, and avoid unnecessary movement until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed because the verbatim Luther Alert text was not published; reporting confirms Luther College Security received multiple complaints about the Instagram posts and notified Decorah Police at 1:31 a.m.
The threat surfaced overnight while most students were in residence halls, which shapes the cautious shelter-style framing of the reconstructed message.
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction244 chars
Luther Alert: Decorah Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the online threat. A search found no weapons and law enforcement has determined there is no ongoing threat to Luther College or the community. Normal activities may resume.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Classified as all-clear because police arrested the suspect, found no weapons, and explicitly stated there was no ongoing threat to the college or community.
The all-clear rests on a confession and a weapons search rather than a passage of time, distinguishing it from threats resolved only by elapsed deadlines.
Context

Background

Luther College is a private Lutheran liberal arts college of roughly 1,700 students in Decorah, in northeastern Iowa. At 1:31 a.m. on Monday, November 25, 2024, Luther College Security notified Decorah Police that someone had posted threats on Instagram targeting the college, after the posts prompted multiple complaints to campus security. The posts referenced a violent anime series and suggested an intent to kill 80% of Luther's students. Police identified and detained 20-year-old Peter Bumba, who during questioning admitted to posting the messages and was charged with making terroristic threats, a class D felony, then booked into the Winneshiek County Jail. A search of his room and vehicle found no weapons, and police said there was no ongoing threat. The case illustrates how social-media threats against small colleges can trigger an overnight emergency response and rapid felony charges even when no weapon is ever recovered.
Analysis

Key Findings

The threat was detected through student complaints to campus security about Instagram posts, leading Luther Security to notify Decorah Police at 1:31 a.m.
The suspect was identified, confessed, and was charged with a class D felony within hours, even though a search of his room and vehicle found no weapons
For a small liberal arts college, a single online post threatening to 'kill 80%' of students was sufficient to trigger a full overnight law-enforcement response and notification
Outcome
Decorah Police arrested 20-year-old Peter Bumba, who admitted to making the posts and was charged with making terroristic threats, a class D felony, and booked into the Winneshiek County Jail. No weapons were found, and police said there was no ongoing threat to Luther College or the community.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Student arrested for posting threats toward Luther College - KCRG
    kcrg.com
  2. News
    Illinois man arrested for posting terroristic threats toward Luther College students on Instagram - News8000
    news8000.com
  3. News
    Luther College student charged with felony over alleged online threat - Radio Iowa
    radioiowa.com
  4. News
    Luther Student Pleads Not Guilty to Threat of Terrorism Charge - decorahnews.com
    decorahnews.com
Tags
threat-of-violencesocial-media-threatiowadecorahprivate-liberal-artsterroristic-threatemergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion