{
  "id": "2024-01-29-ut-arlington-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "ut-arlington-bomb-threat-2024-01-29",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Texas at Arlington",
    "shortName": "UTA",
    "state": "TX",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "MavAlert",
    "enrollment": 40000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-01-29",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Bomb threats empty four residence halls; deemed not credible after search",
    "headlinePublic": "Bomb threats empty four residence halls; deemed not credible after search",
    "summary": "On January 29, 2024, the University of Texas at Arlington received [multiple bomb threats targeting four residence halls](https://www.theshorthorn.com/news/bomb-threats-force-evacuations-in-four-university-housing-buildings/article_a03ad758-bf0e-11ee-9bda-e78c19641f94.html), forcing hundreds of students into the cold. Campus police ordered evacuations of Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, and Arbor Oaks at 6:14 PM CST. After a two-hour search, [investigators deemed the threats not credible](https://www.kltv.com/2024/01/30/bomb-threat-4-buildings-ut-arlington-causes-some-evacuations/) and issued an all-clear around 8:25 PM CST.",
    "outcome": "The threats were determined to be not credible after law enforcement searched all four buildings. Students returned to their residences and normal operations resumed. Counseling and mental health services were made available."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-01-29T18:14:00-06:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Urgent MavAlert!  UTA Police investigating multiple bomb threats on campus. Evacuate Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, Arbor Oaks.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UTAPolice/status/1752123184864797136",
      "sourceDescription": "@UTAPolice on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Posted to UTA Police's verified X account on January 29, 2024, the public-facing version of the MavAlert push notification sent to students",
        "Lists all four housing facilities targeted by the threats but omits any guidance on where to shelter; the Maverick Activities Center direction came through residence-life staff and follow-up messaging",
        "A second MavAlert (sequence 2) at X status/1752129270359494970 added 'Stay away from area' as police continued to search all four buildings"
      ],
      "characterCount": 135
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Urgent MavAlert! UTA Police continue to investigate bomb threats on campus. Evacuate Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, and Arbor Oaks. Stay away from area.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UTAPolice/status/1752129270359494970",
      "sourceDescription": "@UTAPolice official X account (second MavAlert tweet, verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Posted to UTA Police's verified X account on January 29, 2024 as a follow-up to the initial evacuation order",
        "The update reiterates the evacuation and adds 'Stay away from area', indicating ongoing active search of all four buildings",
        "This tweet is cited in the X URL: status/1752129270359494970"
      ],
      "characterCount": 160
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2024-01-29T20:25:00-06:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "Urgent MavAlert! UTA Police continue to investigate bomb threats on campus. Evacuate Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, and Arbor Oaks. Stay away from area.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UTAPolice/status/1752129270359494970",
      "sourceDescription": "@UTAPolice on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Quoted verbatim from @UTAPolice X post; issued at approximately 8:25 PM CST on January 29, 2024 after investigators concluded the threats were not credible",
        "The all-clear came approximately two hours after the initial evacuation order at 6:14 PM CST",
        "UTA made counseling and mental health services available to affected students"
      ],
      "characterCount": 160,
      "confidence": "high"
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the evening of January 29, 2024, the University of Texas at Arlington received multiple bomb threats [targeting four student housing facilities](https://www.theshorthorn.com/news/bomb-threats-force-evacuations-in-four-university-housing-buildings/article_a03ad758-bf0e-11ee-9bda-e78c19641f94.html): Meadow Run, Arlington Hall, West Hall, and Arbor Oaks. UTA Police issued a MavAlert at 6:14 PM CST ordering immediate evacuations. Displaced students were directed to the Maverick Activities Center while law enforcement conducted searches. Graduate student Dharsan Kannan, who lived at Meadow Run, told reporters he rushed out with only his passport when the alarm rang. [Investigators determined the threats were not credible](https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/crime/ut-arlington-police-multiple-bomb-threats/287-826864f2-c6d1-482e-8eea-d59915e6eea8) and issued an all-clear around 8:25 PM CST. The incident occurred on the same night that [Texas State University in San Marcos also received 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.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Four student housing facilities were evacuated simultaneously after threats were posted on social media platform X",
    "The threats came on the same night that Texas State University also received bomb threats, suggesting coordination",
    "The two-hour evacuation displaced hundreds of students on a January evening, with the Maverick Activities Center serving as a staging area"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Bomb threats force evacuations in four university housing buildings (The Shorthorn)",
      "url": "https://www.theshorthorn.com/news/bomb-threats-force-evacuations-in-four-university-housing-buildings/article_a03ad758-bf0e-11ee-9bda-e78c19641f94.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police: UT Arlington clear after multiple bomb threats (WFAA)",
      "url": "https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/crime/ut-arlington-police-multiple-bomb-threats/287-826864f2-c6d1-482e-8eea-d59915e6eea8",
      "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"
    },
    {
      "title": "UT Arlington police give all clear to return to residences after no bomb found (KLTV)",
      "url": "https://www.kltv.com/2024/01/30/bomb-threat-4-buildings-ut-arlington-causes-some-evacuations/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://x.com/UTAPolice/status/1752123184864797136",
      "title": "@UTAPolice on X",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "dateAccessed": "2026-07-18"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://x.com/UTAPolice/status/1752129270359494970",
      "title": "@UTAPolice on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "dateAccessed": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "residence-halls",
    "evacuation",
    "hoax",
    "texas",
    "coordinated-threats",
    "social-media-threat"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}