Second threat at local university in a week's time

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Kendall Downing

Story Created: Fri Sep 21, 2012 5:54 PM

Story Updated: Fri Sep 21, 2012 6:23 PM

CARBONDALE, Ill. - One week, two threats, and lots of rattled nerves. Hundreds of students at SIU-Carbondale rushed out of their dorm rooms Thursday night thanks to another suspicious letter. This one, though contained a bomb threat.

A search of the Brush Towers residence halls turned up nothing. The FBI isn't saying much either.

Campus police emptied the Towers last night around 11 p.m.

The 2,100 students were out of the buildings for about two hours, once the search for an explosive turned up empty.

The first threat happened Wednesday but didn't force any evacuations. School officials wouldn't elaborate then on the type of threat that was.

But Friday questions lingered, like who could be behind the threats, and what's the motive? Those facts according to officials aren't news just yet.

"The FBI is working on this case as well as our Department of Public Safety, and they're keeping things pretty close to the vest. They're not releasing a lot of information on this, and it's all part of their investigation as they work to try to find out what's going on and who's responsible," said Rod Sievers, University Spokesperson.

Sievers said the bomb threat Thursday night came in letter form, delivered to the campus mail station, like the previous threat earlier this week.

Classes were not cancelled Friday, and it was business as usual on the campus.

The FBI office in Springfield told Local 6 it couldn't comment on the investigation and wouldn't say whether or not the two threats were related.