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Bomb threat at Howard University forces students to evacuate for the second time in 48 hours

This is the eighth time since January that a bomb threat has been made against the Washington, D.C., HBCU.
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For the second time in 48 hours, Howard University students were forced to evacuate the school's Washington, D.C., campus because of a bomb threat — the latest in a string of dozens of threats against historically Black colleges and universities this year.

The threat came in just before 2:30 a.m. Friday and targeted the East and West Towers on the university’s main campus, the school said in a statement.

The Metropolitan Police Department and campus police responded and evacuated residents from the buildings as a thorough investigation was conducted, using animals and mechanical explosive finding resources.

The buildings were cleared around 5:30 a.m.

"It was difficult for me to witness in person students sitting in Banneker Park and heading to trailers on Sherman Avenue and crossing Georgia Avenue on their way to Blackburn Center in their pajamas and sleepwear," school president Wayne A. I. Frederick said in a letter. "This is terrorism, and it must stop."

As of Friday afternoon, no arrests had been made. Howard University said preliminary information suggests that investigators may have a lead on the location of the call. Police said Friday that the incident remains under investigation.

This is the eighth time since January that a bomb threat has been made against the university, Frank Tramble, Howard's chief communications officer, said.

On Tuesday, Cook Hall was evacuated after "a male called in a bomb threat" around 10:50 p.m., police said. The building was later cleared, the school tweeted around 1 a.m. Wednesday. Earlier this month, the same threat was made against the Mudd Building.

"As we debrief from our now eighth bomb threat of 2022, we must continue the effort to make our great response to the failed intimidation of these threats even better," Frederick said, noting that he will speak with law enforcement and federal officials "to ensure that the gravity of this situation is elevated and prioritized."

The FBI said that 57 HBCUs and other institutions received bomb threats between Jan. 4 and Feb. 16. More than a dozen schools were targeted on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month. The threats were made in phone calls, e-mails, instant messages and anonymous online posts.

Six juveniles were identified as persons of interest, a law enforcement official told NBC News in February. The official said they appear to be "tech savvy" and used sophisticated methods to try to disguise the source of the threats, which appeared to be racially motivated. It's not clear if the juveniles are connected to Friday's incident at Howard.