Campus Alert Archive
NIU

Anonymous Email Threatens Barsema Hall Bombing and Active Shooter in Bid for 'International News'

ILbomb threatadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On February 26, 2024, faculty and staff of NIU's College of Business received an anonymous email threatening an act of violence at Barsema Hall, including bomb and active shooter threats. After investigation by NIU Police with support from Illinois and federal authorities, the threat was determined to be not credible. The email explicitly requested a large police response to gain media attention.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Northern Illinois University
Public R2 · IL
~16,000 studentsNIU Safety Notification
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

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 ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimWJOL Newsradio 1340 quoting the official NIU safety notification verbatim432 chars
You will see a heavy police presence in the area as we investigate. Be prepared to take additional safety precautions and report any suspicious devices or persons you see by calling 911. Do not touch any suspicious backpacks, boxes, etc. The NIU Police is not mandating an evacuation at this time. Please don't call 911 or 815-753-1212 for information as the NIU Police will provide updates via NIU SOCIAL or your NIU email account.
Verbatim text from the NIU Safety Notification as reproduced by WJOL Newsradio from the official safety bulletin, February 26, 2024
NIU Police did not mandate an evacuation but instructed people not to touch suspicious items and to avoid calling 911 for information
The anonymous email was sent to College of Business faculty and staff with a demand for large police presence to gain 'international news' attention
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction310 chars
NIU UPDATE: After an investigation with support from Illinois and federal authorities, the unverified bomb and active shooter threat targeting Barsema Hall has been determined to be not credible. Normal campus operations continue. At least one other university outside Illinois received the same message today.

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

Reconstructed from news coverage; NIU confirmed the threat was not credible after investigation
The emailer had explicitly requested a large police presence in hopes of gaining international news coverage
An identical email was received by at least one other university outside Illinois the same day
Context

Background

On the morning of February 26, 2024, faculty and staff of NIU's College of Business received an anonymous email threatening violence at Barsema Hall on the DeKalb campus. The email stated there would be 'an act of violence committed today' and requested a large police presence in hopes of gaining international news attention. NIU Police investigated with support from state and federal authorities and determined the threat was not credible. No evacuation was mandated, though NIU police advised people to be alert and report suspicious items or activity. The university confirmed that at least one other university outside of Illinois received the exact same message that day, and an Ivy League university had received a similar threat one week prior. The incident occurred just days after the sixth anniversary of the February 14, 2008, mass shooting at NIU that killed five students in Cole Hall.
Analysis

Key Findings

The anonymous email explicitly requested a large police response to attract media attention, revealing the hoax motive
At least one other university outside Illinois received an identical email the same day
NIU did not evacuate or close campus, instead advising vigilance while investigating the threat
Outcome
The threat was deemed not credible. No evacuation was ordered, and classes continued as normal. NIU police confirmed that at least one other university outside Illinois received an identical email the same day, and an Ivy League university had received a similar threat the prior week.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Barsema Hall threat deemed 'not credible' (Northern Star)
    northernstar.info
  2. News
    NIU police say bomb, shooter threat not credible (WIFR)
    wifr.com
  3. News
    NIU: Anonymous email included threats, requests for police presence seeking attention (Shaw Local)
    shawlocal.com
  4. News
    NIU investigating unverified bomb and shooter threat at Barsema Hall (Northern Public Radio)
    northernpublicradio.org
Tags
bomb-threatactive-shooter-threathoaxemail-threatillinoiscopycat-threatno-evacuationattention-seekingHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion