Campus Alert Archive
Philander Smith

1:35 AM Black History Month Wake-Up: Philander Smith Locks Down After a Self-Described 'Neo-Nazi' Names Three Little Rock HBCUs in a Single 911 Call

ARbomb threatemergency notificationmedium 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.

At approximately 1:35 AM CST on February 1, 2022 — the first day of Black History Month — Little Rock 911 received a call from a person claiming to be a neo-Nazi who said he had set C-4 plastic explosive charges at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, at another college nearby believed to be Arkansas Baptist College, and a vehicle bomb in a white van at Shorter College in North Little Rock. Philander Smith locked down its campus, removed students from buildings, and waited for an FBI-LRPD-LRFD bomb sweep before issuing an all-clear at approximately 10:15 AM CST.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Philander Smith College
Hbcu · AR
~700 studentsPhilander Smith Emergency Notifications
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 reconstructionArkansas Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Philander Smith bomb threat130 chars
PSC Emergency: Bomb threat received. Campus is on lockdown. All buildings being cleared. Do not come to campus. Updates to follow.

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

The 1:35 AM CST 911 call to Little Rock dispatch is documented in the police report; the campus alert would have followed within roughly 25 minutes as Campus Security was notified and activated the emergency notification system
Reconstructed from media reporting; the verbatim short-code SMS text was not preserved in a publicly accessible Philander Smith archive
Philander Smith was the original target named by the caller, with Arkansas Baptist (also Little Rock) and Shorter College (North Little Rock) named in the same call
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstructionPhilander Smith Statement on Bomb Threat Incident243 chars
PSC Emergency Update: All clear. The FBI, Little Rock Police Department, Little Rock Fire Department, and Campus Security have completed a thorough sweep of campus facilities. No suspicious packages were located. Normal operations will resume.

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

The 10:15 AM CST all-clear timing is documented in the [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette report](https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/feb/01/bomb-threat-at-philander-smith-college-prompts-rem/), which describes the FBI-LRPD-LRFD-Security joint sweep
Reconstructed from official Philander Smith statements and media coverage; the verbatim text is not preserved in a publicly accessible archive
The all-clear notes the K-9 bomb-detection unit deployed by LRPD — an unusual escalation level for a small HBCU campus and a marker of how seriously law enforcement treated the coordinated threat
Context

Background

Philander Smith College is a small private HBCU in Little Rock, Arkansas — fewer than 1,000 students — and one of three Arkansas HBCUs targeted in the same coordinated threat call on February 1, 2022. The 1:35 AM CST 911 call to Little Rock dispatch was made by a caller who self-identified as a neo-Nazi and claimed to have set C-4 explosive charges at Philander Smith and an unnamed college nearby (presumed by police to be Arkansas Baptist College, also in Little Rock), plus a vehicle bomb in a white van at Shorter College in North Little Rock. The threat occurred on the first day of Black History Month, part of a coordinated wave of bomb threats that hit at least a dozen HBCUs that morning. Philander Smith locked down its campus, sheltered students who were on-site, and asked commuters not to come in. The FBI, Little Rock Police Department K-9 bomb-detection units, Little Rock Fire Department, and Campus Security swept the facilities; no explosive devices were located and an all-clear was issued at approximately 10:15 AM CST. The FBI later identified six juveniles as persons of interest in the broader nationwide threat wave, but the FBI ultimately concluded that the primary suspect was a minor whose juvenile status would shield them from federal prosecution. Philander Smith was later awarded $149,963 in federal Project SERV funds — funds the college used to hire three new security officers and contract a one-year police-department detail.
Analysis

Key Findings

A single 1:35 AM CST 911 call named three Arkansas HBCUs simultaneously, requiring coordinated response across two cities (Little Rock and North Little Rock) and two police departments
The use of LRPD K-9 bomb-detection units at a small HBCU is an unusual resource escalation that reflects the perceived credibility of the C-4 explosive claims
The all-clear came roughly 8.5 hours after the initial threat — a long lockdown for a small residential HBCU and a meaningful disruption to a class day on Day 1 of Black History Month
Philander Smith's $149,963 federal grant funded three new security officers and a one-year contracted police detail, illustrating how federal Project SERV money flows to HBCUs after threat events
Outcome
No explosive devices were found. Federal and local authorities — the FBI, Little Rock Fire Department, Little Rock Police Department (with K-9 bomb-detection units), and Philander Smith Campus Security — issued an all-clear at approximately 10:15 AM CST. The FBI later [identified six juveniles as persons of interest](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/six-juveniles-identified-fbi-persons-interests-bomb-threats-historical-rcna14591) in the broader nationwide HBCU threat campaign. Philander Smith was [later awarded $149,963 in federal Project SERV funds](https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2023/jan/14/philander-smith-college-to-use-grant-for-added/) to hire additional security officers.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Statement on Bomb Threat Incident (Philander Smith University)
    philander.edu
  2. News
    Authorities investigate bomb threats against historically Black colleges in Central Arkansas (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
    arkansasonline.com
  3. News
    Two of Little Rock HBCUs receive bomb threats Tuesday morning (THV11)
    thv11.com
  4. News
    Philander Smith and Arkansas Baptist among several historically Black colleges to receive bomb threats yesterday (Arkansas Times)
    arktimes.com
  5. News
    2 Little Rock Historically Black Colleges Receive Bomb Threats (Patch)
    patch.com
  6. News
    Philander Smith College to use grant for added security (NWA Online)
    nwaonline.com
  7. News
    FBI identifies 6 juveniles as persons of interest in bomb threats at Black colleges (NBC News)
    nbcnews.com
Tags
bomb-threathbcuphilander-smitharkansaslittle-rockblack-history-monthneo-nazi-callerc4-claimfbi-investigationproject-serv-grantHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion