Campus Alert Archive
Alcorn State

Alcorn State Receives Anonymous Bomb Threat at 4 a.m. as Mississippi's Five HBCUs Are Targeted Simultaneously

MSbomb threatemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

Alcorn State University received an anonymous bomb threat at 4:00 a.m. on February 1, 2022. The school advised all students to shelter in place and instructed faculty and staff not to report to work. Campus Police, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Claiborne County Sheriff's Office, and Natchez Police Department conducted sweeps of both the Lorman and Natchez campuses, finding the threat not credible.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Alcorn State University
Hbcu · MS
~3,000 studentsAlcorn ConnectEd
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimAlcorn State University ConnectEd alert text quoted verbatim by WLBT187 chars
Alcorn State University received an anonymous bomb threat this morning. We are advising all students to shelter in place. Faculty and Staff should not report to work until further notice.
The phrase 'anonymous bomb threat' is one of the more legally precise framings used in the HBCU wave — neither downgrading ('possible') nor escalating ('confirmed')
Two-tier instruction (shelter-in-place for students, stay-away for faculty/staff) — typical for a residential HBCU campus at 4 a.m.
The 4:00 a.m. timing was reported by The Campus Chronicle student newspaper
ASU was one of five Mississippi HBCUs targeted simultaneously that morning
UPDATEEmail
Verified verbatimAlcorn State University operations update for February 1, 2022 quoted verbatim by WLBT450 chars
Due to today's anonymous bomb threat, all campuses will operate virtually. There will be no in-person student activities and all classes will continue by virtual instruction on Canvas. The dining hall will serve brunch from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and dinner from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. No retail locations will be open. All employees, except for emergency personnel (police, fire, EMS, and dining), will work remotely today, Tuesday, February 1, 2022.
Operationally specific — names dining-hall hours, the LMS (Canvas), and excepted-employee categories — a level of detail rarely matched in the broader HBCU wave
Notable that both the Lorman and Natchez campuses required separate sweeps, doubling the resource requirement
Four separate law enforcement agencies — Campus Police, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Claiborne County Sheriff's Office, and Natchez Police Department — coordinated the response
Context

Background

Alcorn State University, the oldest public HBCU in the United States (founded 1871), received an anonymous bomb threat at 4 a.m. on the first day of Black History Month. It was one of five Mississippi HBCUs targeted that morning, along with Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Rust College, and Tougaloo College. The response required coordination across four law enforcement agencies because Alcorn State operates campuses in both Lorman and Natchez. The Campus Chronicle, Alcorn's student newspaper, documented the student experience during the lockdown. This was part of the 2022 HBCU bomb threat wave in which the FBI identified six juveniles as persons of interest and investigated the campaign as racially motivated hate crimes. Alcorn's President later participated in a roundtable with U.S. Department of Education officials on the impact of the bomb threats.
Analysis

Key Findings

Alcorn State is the oldest public HBCU in the United States, making it a symbolically significant target
The multi-campus structure required four separate law enforcement agencies to coordinate sweeps of both Lorman and Natchez locations
Five Mississippi HBCUs were targeted simultaneously, straining state law enforcement resources
The student newspaper documented the experience, providing a first-person campus perspective on the threats
Outcome
Thorough sweep of both Lorman and Natchez campuses by multiple agencies. Threat deemed not credible. No explosive devices found.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Alcorn State University receives anonymous bomb threat -- WLBT
    wlbt.com
  2. Student Paper
    Alcorn Receives Bomb Threat -- The Campus Chronicle
    theasuchronicle.com
  3. News
    Bomb threats reported at five Miss. HBCUs as Black History Month begins -- WLBT
    wlbt.com
  4. Official
    President Nave to participate in roundtable on impact of bomb threats -- Alcorn State University
    alcorn.edu
Tags
bomb-threathbcuhbcu-bomb-wave-2022racially-motivatedblack-history-monthcoordinated-threatmississippioldest-public-hbcuHoax
Added April 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion