{
  "id": "2024-11-21-kentucky-state-university-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "kentucky-state-university-bomb-threat-2024-11-21",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Kentucky State University",
    "shortName": "KSU",
    "state": "KY",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "alertSystemName": "BRED Alerts",
    "enrollment": 3200
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-11-21",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "About ten phoned bomb threats prompted a campus-wide evacuation to the stadium",
    "headlinePublic": "About ten phoned bomb threats prompted a campus-wide evacuation to the stadium",
    "summary": "On November 21, 2024, Kentucky State University received a [bomb threat via phone call shortly after 8:20 AM EST](https://fox56news.com/news/local/bomb-threat-reported-at-kentucky-state-university/), followed by approximately 10 phone threats between 8:30 and 9:00 AM EST, all believed to have come from the same source. The threats prompted a campus-wide evacuation, and students were moved to the stadium while [multiple law enforcement agencies swept every building on campus](https://www.wdrb.com/news/all-clear-issued-at-kentucky-state-university-after-police-respond-to-bomb-threat/article_1d6d2e18-a80e-11ef-8e34-6325fb1ca4eb.html). The all-clear text alert was sent at 12:50 PM EST and KSU publicly confirmed the all-clear around 1:30 PM EST.",
    "outcome": "No threats were found after a comprehensive sweep of all campus buildings. The campus reopened for regular operations at 8:00 AM EST on Friday, November 22. Students in residence halls were allowed to return, and campus dining resumed at 4:30 PM EST on November 21."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-11-21T08:35:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Bomb threat issued at KSU. Keep phone nearby for updates. Report suspicious activity to campus police or call 911. Everyone clear buildings now.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://ksuthorobrednews.org/1256/news/bomb-threat-towards-kentucky-state-university/",
      "sourceDescription": "KSU BRED Alert text quoted by Thorobred News student newspaper",
      "annotations": [
        "Sent at 8:35 AM EST on November 21, 2024, 15 minutes after the threat phone call shortly after 8:20 AM EST",
        "Notably terse and direct, the imperative 'Everyone clear buildings now' is unusual in formal campus alert language and reflects the urgency of an unfolding bomb threat",
        "The alert lacks an evacuation destination; the directive to evacuate to the stadium came via subsequent communications"
      ],
      "characterCount": 144
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-11-21T12:50:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Law Enforcement has finished their sweeps of all campus buildings and have provided KSU an 'all clear.' Please check your KYSU email for details.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.kysu.edu/news/2024/11/ksu-will-reopen-november-22-2024.php",
      "sourceDescription": "Kentucky State University official news release quoting the 12:50 PM text alert",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text of the 12:50 PM EST all-clear text alert, as quoted in KSU's official news release about the November 22 reopening",
        "The all-clear came approximately four and a half hours after the initial 8:20 AM EST threat phone call",
        "Campus operations were suspended for the remainder of November 21, reopening fully on November 22"
      ],
      "characterCount": 145
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the morning of November 21, 2024, Kentucky State University received a [bomb threat via phone call shortly after 8:20 AM EST](https://fox56news.com/news/local/bomb-threat-reported-at-kentucky-state-university/), followed by approximately 10 phone threats between 8:30 and 9:00 AM EST, all believed to have come from the same source. KSU campus police, staff, and local law enforcement closed campus and evacuated students and staff. An emergency text went out at 8:35 AM EST ordering everyone to clear buildings; students were directed to the stadium as a safe gathering point through subsequent communications. [Multiple agencies including Frankfort Police, Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Kentucky State Police, and Frankfort/Franklin County Emergency Management](https://www.wdrb.com/news/all-clear-issued-at-kentucky-state-university-after-police-respond-to-bomb-threat/article_1d6d2e18-a80e-11ef-8e34-6325fb1ca4eb.html) worked to investigate and clear all campus buildings. The [all-clear text alert was sent at 12:50 PM EST](https://www.kysu.edu/news/2024/11/ksu-will-reopen-november-22-2024.php), and students were allowed to return to residence halls. Campus dining reopened at 4:30 PM EST, but other campus operations remained closed for the rest of the day. The [same day, another Kentucky campus also received a bomb threat](https://www.wkyt.com/2024/11/21/bomb-threats-two-ky-school-campuses/), suggesting the threats may have been part of a coordinated hoax campaign targeting educational institutions in the state.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The approximately four-and-a-half-hour campus-wide evacuation required coordination among KSU police and multiple outside law enforcement and emergency management agencies",
    "Students were evacuated to the stadium, which served as a safe staging area during the building sweeps",
    "KSU is an HBCU that has been previously targeted in coordinated bomb threat waves against historically Black institutions"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Bomb threat reported at Kentucky State University (Fox 56)",
      "url": "https://fox56news.com/news/local/bomb-threat-reported-at-kentucky-state-university/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "All-clear issued at Kentucky State University after police respond to bomb threat (WDRB)",
      "url": "https://www.wdrb.com/news/all-clear-issued-at-kentucky-state-university-after-police-respond-to-bomb-threat/article_1d6d2e18-a80e-11ef-8e34-6325fb1ca4eb.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Kentucky State University Will Reopen Campus November 22, 2024 (KSU Official)",
      "url": "https://www.kysu.edu/news/2024/11/ksu-will-reopen-november-22-2024.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bomb threats at two Ky. school campuses (WKYT)",
      "url": "https://www.wkyt.com/2024/11/21/bomb-threats-two-ky-school-campuses/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bomb threat towards Kentucky State University (Thorobred News)",
      "url": "https://ksuthorobrednews.org/1256/news/bomb-threat-towards-kentucky-state-university/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "evacuation",
    "hoax",
    "kentucky",
    "hbcu",
    "phone-threat",
    "multi-agency-response",
    "campus-wide-evacuation"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}