{ "id": "2025-09-11-alabama-state-university-bomb-threat", "slug": "alabama-state-university-bomb-threat-2025-09-11", "institution": { "name": "Alabama State University", "shortName": "ASU", "state": "AL", "type": "hbcu", "enrollment": 4800 }, "incident": { "date": "2025-09-11", "type": "swatting", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "resolution": "confirmed-hoax", "headline": "Coordinated swatting email prompts campus lockdown; determined to be a hoax", "headlinePublic": "Coordinated swatting email prompts campus lockdown; determined to be a hoax", "summary": "On September 11, 2025, [Alabama State University was placed on lockdown](https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/11/us/hbcu-lockdown-potential-threats) alongside at least six other HBCUs after receiving a coordinated swatting email that falsely reported an active threat on campus. The [Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed the email was a swatting attempt](https://www.waaytv.com/news/asu-receives-all-clear-from-law-enforcement-after-threat-students-asked-to-keep-sheltering-in/article_8f0897a0-0a69-4306-a394-59b7519c5e13.html), and the [FBI classified all HBCU threats that day as hoaxes](https://www.axios.com/2025/09/11/hbcu-lockdown-campus-terrorist-threats). The timing on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the day after the [assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Charlie_Kirk) amplified anxiety across affected campuses.", "outcome": "The FBI determined the threat was a hoax. ASU lifted its lockdown after law enforcement completed a sweep of campus. No explosives or threats were found." }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestampApprox": "Mid-morning of September 11, 2025 CDT", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "On behalf of Alabama State University, please be advised that the campus is closed for the remainder of the day, Thursday, September 11, 2025. Campus Police, along with other law enforcement agencies, are actively clearing all buildings on campus. In addition, all campus activities are canceled for today, September 11, 2025. This includes day and evening classes, graduate classes, rehearsals, and all other scheduled events. The John G. Hardy Student Center is closed until further notice. We appreciate your cooperation as we work closely with law enforcement to ensure the safety of our Hornet family.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://www.universityherald.com/articles/79773/20250912/multiple-hbcus-lock-down-after-threats-alabama-state-cancels-classes-following-swatting-email.htm", "sourceDescription": "University Herald and WSFA quoting verbatim from Alabama State University's official notice", "annotations": [ "Quoted verbatim by University Herald and Alabama Reflector from ASU's official September 11, 2025 statement", "Notable for closing the entire campus for the day rather than just sheltering in place, a broader response than most other targeted HBCUs that day", "The 'Hornet family' phrase reflects ASU's mascot and is characteristic of HBCU presidential communications, which often use community-of-care language", "Specifically named the John G. Hardy Student Center as the building of focus, a level of operational detail uncommon in initial alerts", "ALEA later confirmed the threat was a swatting email that 'falsely reported an active threat on campus,' not a bomb threat" ], "characterCount": 606 }, { "sequence": 2, "type": "all-clear", "timestampApprox": "Afternoon of September 11, 2025", "channel": "multi-channel", "verbatimText": "", "isVerbatimConfirmed": false, "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from CNN, Axios, and Capital B News reporting", "annotations": [] } ], "context": "On September 11, 2025, Alabama State University was among [at least seven HBCUs placed on lockdown](https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/11/us/hbcu-lockdown-potential-threats) after receiving coordinated hoax threats. ALEA later confirmed the ASU threat was specifically a [swatting email that 'falsely reported an active threat on campus'](https://www.waaytv.com/news/asu-receives-all-clear-from-law-enforcement-after-threat-students-asked-to-keep-sheltering-in/article_8f0897a0-0a69-4306-a394-59b7519c5e13.html), characterizing it as a swatting incident rather than a traditional bomb threat. The timing on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks (and one day after the [assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Charlie_Kirk) on September 10) added significant anxiety to an already alarming situation. The [FBI quickly classified all threats as hoaxes](https://www.axios.com/2025/09/11/hbcu-lockdown-campus-terrorist-threats), and [Inside Higher Ed](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/minority-serving-institutions/2025/09/11/multiple-hbcus-go-lockdown-response) reported on the broader pattern of HBCUs being disproportionately targeted. [Capital B News documented](https://capitalbnews.org/hbcu-receive-threats/) that all lockdowns were lifted throughout the day; ASU issued the all-clear around 1 PM CDT but kept residential students sheltering in place. The incident was part of an escalating pattern: a [UNCF policy brief](https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/hbcus-on-high-alert-following-a-series-of-threats/173426) found that half of the nation's 101 HBCUs had received targeted threats over the preceding three years. A [second wave later in September](https://blackpressusa.com/hbcus-face-new-wave-of-bomb-threats-as-morgan-state-and-towson-universities-targeted/) targeted additional HBCUs including Morgan State, Southern University, Delaware State, Prairie View A&M, and Alabama A&M, with threats specifically aimed at university libraries.", "keyFindings": [ "The threats were timed on the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and one day after the Charlie Kirk assassination at UVU, amplifying fear and anxiety", "Alabama State was part of a coordinated campaign targeting at least seven HBCUs simultaneously", "ALEA classified the ASU threat specifically as a swatting email ('falsely reported an active threat on campus') not a bomb threat", "The incident was followed by a second wave later in September targeting additional HBCUs, with threats directed at campus libraries" ], "sources": [ { "title": "HBCUs under lockdown after receiving threats (CNN)", "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/11/us/hbcu-lockdown-potential-threats", "type": "national-media" }, { "title": "Multiple HBCUs locked down after terroristic threats (Axios)", "url": "https://www.axios.com/2025/09/11/hbcu-lockdown-campus-terrorist-threats", "type": "national-media" }, { "title": "Multiple HBCUs Go On Lockdown (Inside Higher Ed)", "url": "https://www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/minority-serving-institutions/2025/09/11/multiple-hbcus-go-lockdown-response", "type": "national-media" }, { "title": "HBCU Lockdowns Lifted (Capital B News)", "url": "https://capitalbnews.org/hbcu-receive-threats/", "type": "national-media" }, { "title": "ALEA: Swatting email behind threat on ASU campus (WAAY TV)", "url": "https://www.waaytv.com/news/asu-receives-all-clear-from-law-enforcement-after-threat-students-asked-to-keep-sheltering-in/article_8f0897a0-0a69-4306-a394-59b7519c5e13.html", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Multiple HBCUs Lock Down; Alabama State Cancels Classes Following 'Swatting' Email (University Herald)", "url": "https://www.universityherald.com/articles/79773/20250912/multiple-hbcus-lock-down-after-threats-alabama-state-cancels-classes-following-swatting-email.htm", "type": "national-media" }, { "title": "HBCUs Face New Wave of Bomb Threats (Black Press USA)", "url": "https://blackpressusa.com/hbcus-face-new-wave-of-bomb-threats-as-morgan-state-and-towson-universities-targeted/", "type": "national-media" } ], "confidence": "medium", "tags": [ "swatting", "hbcu", "coordinated-attack", "9-11-anniversary", "fbi-investigation", "alabama", "hoax", "2025-hbcu-wave", "post-charlie-kirk", "swatting-email" ], "dateAdded": "2026-04-04", "lastUpdated": "2026-05-06", "addedBy": "ingestion" }