{
  "id": "2025-09-30-morgan-state-university-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "morgan-state-university-bomb-threat-2025-09-30",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Morgan State University",
    "shortName": "Morgan State",
    "state": "MD",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "alertSystemName": "MSU Alert",
    "enrollment": 9200
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-09-30",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Bomb threat, September 30, 2025",
    "summary": "On September 30, 2025, Morgan State University's police department received an [emailed bomb threat](https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/morgan-state-university-evacuates-library-bomb-threat) at 10:16 AM EDT claiming a potential explosive device was in the Earl S. Richardson Library. Officers evacuated the building and [searched each floor](https://www.wmar2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/earl-richardson-library-at-morgan-evacuated-due-to-potential-bomb-threat) before issuing an all-clear around 3:00 PM after finding no devices.",
    "outcome": "No explosive devices were found. The library was reopened after the all-clear. The threat was part of a nationwide wave affecting at least nine other universities that same day, including Towson University, Delaware State University, and Alabama A&M.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-09-30T11:31:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "WEAA and Fox Baltimore reporting",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 3:00 PM EDT on September 30, 2025",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Fox Baltimore and WMAR reporting",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "September 30, 2025, during the Richardson Library evacuation",
      "channel": "official-social",
      "verbatimText": "We urge all members of the campus community to stay away from Richardson Library until further notice or until an official all-clear has been issued. The safety and well-being of our campus remain our highest priority. Please remain vigilant and aware of your surroundings. As always, if you see something, say something.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "confidence": "high",
      "sourceUrl": "https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/morgan-state-university-evacuates-library-bomb-threat",
      "sourceDescription": "Fox Baltimore transcribes the official Morgan State campus post",
      "annotations": [
        "Dual HTML + second-blind of the Fox Baltimore transcription of the official post (photo/status). sha256 c53be2d9f3879b10f885f92e631853dd78359162a4cc9cb7f5ae569df14bf0cb. Distinct from reconstructed seq 1 SMS and seq 2 all-clear."
      ],
      "characterCount": 321
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the morning of September 30, 2025, Morgan State University's police department received an email at [10:16 AM with an explicit threat](https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/morgan-state-university-evacuates-library-bomb-threat) of a possible explosive device in the Earl S. Richardson Library. The email was discovered at 10:50 AM, prompting officers to begin evacuating the building. Students were first alerted to stay clear of the library at 11:31 AM via text message. K9 units searched the three-floor library before police and university officials [deemed the threat not credible](https://www.wmar2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/earl-richardson-library-at-morgan-evacuated-due-to-potential-bomb-threat) and reopened the library just after 3:00 PM. The incident came just days before Morgan State's homecoming, [heightening tension on campus](https://www.weaa.org/local-news/2025-10-01/campus-threat-heightens-tension-ahead-of-morgans-homecoming). Nine other schools nationwide received bomb threats that same day, including [Towson University and Delaware State University](https://www.thebanner.com/community/local-news/towson-morgan-state-bomb-threats-EHAPE5YMSBCANK4TWG253HR7E4/), as part of a broader coordinated campaign.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The gap between threat receipt (10:16 AM), discovery (10:50 AM), and first student alert (11:31 AM) highlights delays in email-based threat detection",
    "The bomb threat came days before Morgan State's homecoming, amplifying campus anxiety following the October 2023 homecoming shooting",
    "The threat was part of a nationwide wave affecting at least ten universities on September 30, 2025"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Morgan State University reopens library after bomb threat (Fox Baltimore)",
      "url": "https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/morgan-state-university-evacuates-library-bomb-threat",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Earl Richardson Library at Morgan evacuated due to potential bomb threat (WMAR)",
      "url": "https://www.wmar2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/earl-richardson-library-at-morgan-evacuated-due-to-potential-bomb-threat",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Campus threat heightens tension ahead of Morgan's Homecoming (WEAA)",
      "url": "https://www.weaa.org/local-news/2025-10-01/campus-threat-heightens-tension-ahead-of-morgans-homecoming",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Towson, Morgan State universities both cleared after bomb threats (Baltimore Banner)",
      "url": "https://www.thebanner.com/community/local-news/towson-morgan-state-bomb-threats-EHAPE5YMSBCANK4TWG253HR7E4/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "hbcu",
    "bomb-threat",
    "hoax",
    "maryland",
    "library",
    "coordinated-threat",
    "homecoming"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-14",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}