4 Campuses Targeted in Latest Rash of Swatting Calls

"Early Thursday morning, officials at Villanova University outside Philadelphia received a "threat of violence targeted at an academic building" and quickly closed their campus and canceled all activities. University officials issued an all clear at 1:36 p.m. on Thursday and noted that the FBI and local law enforcement were continuing their investigation. Alcorn State University in Mississippi initiated a campus lockdown Thursday morning due to a "safety threat," which officials cleared several hours later. Wiley University in Texas also locked down its campus due to a "threat via email" and lifted the lockdown at noon Thursday."

"Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Ala., evacuated its campus and moved classes online Thursday morning due to a "threatening" email, college officials said. A nearby elementary school also entered lockdown due to the same threat, AL.com reported. K-12 schools across the country have also seen an uptick in swatting calls in recent days. Four schools in the San Diego Unified School District were the target of swatting calls Tuesday. Several Maine schools also received threats on Wednesday."

At least four college campuses received swatting calls that prompted lockdowns, evacuations, and cancellations. Villanova University closed its campus after a "threat of violence targeted at an academic building" and later issued an all-clear while the FBI and local law enforcement continued investigating. Alcorn State and Wiley University initiated and later lifted lockdowns after reported safety threats and a "threat via email." Bishop State Community College evacuated and moved classes online after a "threatening" email, prompting a nearby elementary school lockdown. K-12 districts nationwide have seen an uptick in swatting calls, including incidents in San Diego and Maine. The relationship among the threats is unclear; similar waves occurred in August and targeted historically Black colleges last month.

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