{
  "id": "2024-01-29-texas-state-university-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "texas-state-university-bomb-threat-2024-01-29",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Texas State University",
    "shortName": "TXST",
    "state": "TX",
    "type": "public-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "TXST Emergency Management",
    "enrollment": 38000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-01-29",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Bomb threat against five residence halls prompts evacuations; determined unfounded",
    "headlinePublic": "Bomb threat against five residence halls prompts evacuations; determined unfounded",
    "summary": "On January 29, 2024, Texas State University in San Marcos received a bomb threat [targeting five residence halls](https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/hays-county/bomb-threat-texas-state-university-san-marcos/269-e2c60651-ac4e-4274-8f6b-6b8f2613566b) just before 7:00 PM CST. Butler Hall, College Inn, Derrick Hall, Jackson Hall, and Tower Hall were evacuated while [the FBI and local law enforcement searched the buildings](https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/unsubstantiated-bomb-threat-prompts-evacuation-of-texas-state-university-residence-halls). The threat was determined to be unfounded within approximately 45 minutes.",
    "outcome": "The threat was determined to be unfounded. Students were cleared to return to their residence halls just before 7:30 PM CST. The university made Alkek Library, LBJ Student Center, and dining halls available during the evacuation."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-01-29T18:46:00-06:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "@UPDtxst\nis investigating a potential emergency on San Marcos campus. Five buildings are being evacuated out of an abundance of caution: \nButler Hall \nCollege Inn \nDerrick Hall \nJackson Hall \nTower Hall  \n\nCheck here: https://safety.txst.edu",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/txst/status/1752131191417807025",
      "sourceDescription": "@txst on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Posted by the @txst official university account at approximately 6:46 PM CST on January 29, 2024",
        "The tweet routes campus community members to a status page via the t.co shortened link",
        "Five residence halls were evacuated simultaneously: Butler, College Inn, Derrick, Jackson, and Tower",
        "The phrase 'out of an abundance of caution' is hedged language, common in alerts where the threat is being treated as serious but is not yet confirmed credible",
        "Tags @UPDtxst (the University Police Department's handle) establishing the responding agency in the alert itself"
      ],
      "characterCount": 241
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-01-29T19:24:55-06:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "San Marcos- ALL CLEAR -The threat has been determined to be unfounded. \n\nAll Halls are reopening. Go to: http://www.safety.txst.edu",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "@txst on X (verbatim all-clear)",
      "annotations": [
        "The all-clear came approximately 45 minutes after the initial evacuation order",
        "The FBI assisted local law enforcement in searching and clearing the buildings",
        "Verified exact official X/status text; prior reconstruction annotations removed per 2026-07-18 audit."
      ],
      "characterCount": 131,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/txst/status/1752140804217295309"
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the evening of January 29, 2024, Texas State University received a bomb threat targeting five residence halls on its San Marcos campus. The [TXST Office of Emergency Management announced around 6:46 PM CST](https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/hays-county/bomb-threat-texas-state-university-san-marcos/269-e2c60651-ac4e-4274-8f6b-6b8f2613566b) that Butler Hall, College Inn, Derrick Hall, Jackson Hall, and Tower Hall were being evacuated out of an abundance of caution. The university made Alkek Library, LBJ Student Center, and dining halls available for displaced students. [The FBI and other law enforcement agencies searched and cleared all five buildings](https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/unsubstantiated-bomb-threat-prompts-evacuation-of-texas-state-university-residence-halls), determining the threat to be unfounded just before 7:30 PM CST. The incident occurred on the same night that the [University of Texas at Arlington also received multiple bomb threats](https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/uta-police-investigating-multiple-bomb-threats-on-campus/) to its residence halls, suggesting a coordinated wave of hoax threats targeting Texas universities that evening.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Five residence halls were evacuated simultaneously on a Monday evening",
    "The threat was resolved in approximately 45 minutes",
    "The FBI assisted in the investigation, indicating federal involvement in what was likely a coordinated hoax targeting multiple Texas campuses"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Texas State says all clear after bomb threat leads to evacuations (KVUE)",
      "url": "https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/hays-county/bomb-threat-texas-state-university-san-marcos/269-e2c60651-ac4e-4274-8f6b-6b8f2613566b",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Texas State University given the all-clear after unfounded bomb threat (CBS Austin)",
      "url": "https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/unsubstantiated-bomb-threat-prompts-evacuation-of-texas-state-university-residence-halls",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Dorms on campus evacuated during false bomb threat (San Marcos Record)",
      "url": "https://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/article/25649,dorms-on-campus-evacuated-during-false-bomb-threat",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Texas universities issue all-clear after bomb threats prompt evacuations (CBS Texas)",
      "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/uta-police-investigating-multiple-bomb-threats-on-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "type": "official-social",
      "title": "@txst on X (verbatim all-clear)",
      "url": "https://x.com/txst/status/1752140804217295309",
      "accessedDate": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://x.com/txst/status/1752131191417807025",
      "title": "@txst on X",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "dateAccessed": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "residence-halls",
    "evacuation",
    "hoax",
    "texas",
    "coordinated-threats",
    "fbi-involvement"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}