{
  "id": "2022-01-31-bowie-state-university-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "bowie-state-university-bomb-threat-2022-01-31",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Bowie State University",
    "shortName": "Bowie State",
    "state": "MD",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "enrollment": 6300,
    "alertSystemName": "BEES (Bowie State Electronic Emergency System)"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2022-01-31",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Bomb threat during the wave targeting HBCUs prompts a shelter-in-place of over six hours",
    "headlinePublic": "Bomb threat during the wave targeting HBCUs prompts a shelter-in-place of over six hours",
    "summary": "[Bowie State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowie_State_University) received a bomb threat shortly before 6 a.m. EST on January 31, 2022, as part of a [coordinated wave targeting HBCUs](https://www.npr.org/2022/02/08/1079294424/hbcu-bomb-threats-black-colleges) nationwide. A shelter-in-place was issued at approximately 7:30 a.m. EST while the [Office of the State Fire Marshal](https://news.maryland.gov/msp/2022/01/31/bomb-threat-investigation-underway/), Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department conducted K-9 sweeps. The university lifted the shelter-in-place shortly before [2 p.m. EST](https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2022/01/bowie-state-university-sheltering-in-place-due-to-campus-emergency/) after no devices were found.",
    "outcome": "All-clear issued shortly before 2 p.m. EST after K-9 sweeps by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department found no explosive devices. FBI investigated as part of the broader HBCU bomb threat wave.",
    "resolution": "unfounded"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 7:30 a.m. EST, January 31, 2022",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Due to a bomb threat on campus, BSU will be closed temporarily today January 31, 2022.  Emergency personnel are evaluating the situation. All persons on campus are advised to shelter in place until further information is available. (1/2)",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/BowieState/status/1488160026678247425",
      "sourceDescription": "@BowieState on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Posted to Bowie State's official @bowiestate Twitter/X account on January 31, 2022 -- the post is preserved on the platform",
        "Marked as part 1 of 2 ('1/2') in the original tweet -- indicating a paired follow-up update",
        "Initial threat call was received shortly before 6 a.m. EST by City of Bowie Police; the formal shelter-in-place to campus was issued at approximately 7:30 a.m. EST and lasted roughly six and a half hours",
        "Office of the State Fire Marshal K-9 units, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department all participated in the sweep alongside campus police"
      ],
      "characterCount": 237
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly before 2:00 p.m. EST, January 31, 2022",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/bowie-state-university-bomb-threat/",
      "sourceDescription": "Bowie State University official Twitter/X all-clear post (@bowiestate), quoted verbatim by CBS Baltimore",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2022-01-31T07:33:51-05:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Due to an Emergency on campus BSU will be closed temporarily today, 1/31/22.  Emergency personnel are evaluating the situation. All persons on campus are advised to shelter in place until more information is available. Classes will be virtual.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/BowieState/status/1488128390649556999",
      "sourceDescription": "@BowieState on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verified complete alert text on https://x.com/BowieState/status/1488128390649556999; archiveUrl null.",
        "Official same-day cascade from @BowieState."
      ],
      "characterCount": 243,
      "archiveUrl": null,
      "confidence": "high",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2022-01-31T13:57:37-05:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Shelter in place is lifted and Bowie State campus is now open, 1/31/22. Following a bomb threat, a search of the university by federal, state, and local emergency law enforcement found no devices. (1/2)",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/BowieState/status/1488224972187254788",
      "sourceDescription": "@BowieState on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verified complete alert text on https://x.com/BowieState/status/1488224972187254788; archiveUrl null.",
        "Official same-day cascade from @BowieState."
      ],
      "characterCount": 202,
      "archiveUrl": null,
      "confidence": "high",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Bowie State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowie_State_University), founded in 1865 as the [oldest HBCU in Maryland](https://wtop.com/education/2024/02/honoring-bowie-state-university-the-oldest-hbcu-in-maryland/), was among the institutions targeted in a coordinated wave of bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities in January and February 2022. According to [WTOP](https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2022/01/bowie-state-university-sheltering-in-place-due-to-campus-emergency/), a bomb threat call was received by the City of Bowie Police shortly before 6 a.m. EST on January 31; a formal campus shelter-in-place was issued around 7:30 a.m. EST The [Office of the State Fire Marshal, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department](https://news.maryland.gov/msp/2022/01/31/bomb-threat-investigation-underway/) deployed K-9 bomb-detection teams to sweep campus buildings. The university lifted the shelter-in-place shortly before 2 p.m. EST after no devices were found. No devices were found at Bowie State or at any of the other HBCUs targeted that day. The FBI investigated the threats as racially motivated hate crimes, [eventually identifying a juvenile believed responsible for the majority of the threats](https://virginiamercury.com/2022/03/17/most-hbcu-bomb-threats-may-be-coming-from-one-juvenile-fbi-official-tells-congress/) in the broader campaign that targeted dozens of HBCUs and produced at least 57 bomb threats against HBCUs and other institutions.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The roughly six-and-a-half-hour shelter-in-place highlights the operational burden bomb threats impose on smaller institutions with limited security infrastructure",
    "Bowie State's proximity to Washington, D.C. enabled a multi-agency K-9 response combining the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Maryland State Police, and Prince George's County Fire Department",
    "The January 31 wave hit multiple HBCUs simultaneously, stretching federal and state law enforcement resources across jurisdictions"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Multiple HBCUs receive bomb threats on January 31 -- NBC News",
      "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bomb-threats-reported-multiple-hbcus-second-straight-day-rcna14035",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bowie State University bomb threat forces shelter-in-place -- WBAL-TV",
      "url": "https://www.wbaltv.com/article/bowie-state-university-bomb-threat/38937045",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "'All-Clear' Given At Bowie State University After Bomb Scare -- CBS Baltimore",
      "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/bowie-state-university-bomb-threat/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://x.com/BowieState/status/1488160026678247425",
      "title": "@BowieState on X",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "dateAccessed": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "type": "official-social",
      "title": "@BowieState X cascade 1488128390649556999",
      "url": "https://x.com/BowieState/status/1488128390649556999",
      "accessedDate": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "type": "official-social",
      "title": "@BowieState X cascade 1488224972187254788",
      "url": "https://x.com/BowieState/status/1488224972187254788",
      "accessedDate": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "hbcu",
    "hbcu-bomb-wave-2022",
    "racially-motivated",
    "coordinated-threat",
    "maryland"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-20",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}