Campus Alert Archive
B-CU

Caller Claims Atomwaffen Division, Seven Bombs in Duffel Bags and Backpacks at Bethune-Cookman

FLbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

Bethune-Cookman University received one of the most specific threats of the January 2022 HBCU bomb wave. An anonymous male called Daytona Beach Police at approximately 4:35 a.m. EST and, over roughly 20 minutes, claimed affiliation with the Atomwaffen Division, saying seven bombs containing C-4 had been hidden in duffel bags and backpacks around the campus perimeter and would be detonated at noon, with a gunman arriving around 12:30 p.m. The campus was placed on lockdown with students sheltering in dorm rooms; the lockdown was lifted by approximately 9 a.m. EST and no devices or gunman were found.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Bethune-Cookman University
Hbcu · FL
~3,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction437 chars
Bethune-Cookman University has received a credible bomb threat. The campus is on lockdown. Students in residence halls should remain in their rooms and shelter in place. Faculty and staff who are off campus should not report to work. A caller claiming affiliation with a neo-Nazi organization has stated that explosive devices have been placed on campus. Law enforcement is on scene. Do not return to campus until an all-clear is issued.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news reports; exact alert text not publicly available
The actual threat call came in to Daytona Beach Police around 4:35 a.m. EST and lasted roughly 20 minutes; the caller referenced the Atomwaffen Division by name, claimed seven bombs containing C-4 hidden in duffel bags and backpacks around the campus perimeter, and threatened a gunman arriving around 12:30 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman's protocol was a lockdown with shelter-in-place in dorms, not a full evacuation; classes were cancelled and most students remained in residence halls
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction272 chars
The campus lockdown has been lifted. Daytona Beach Police and partner agencies have completed a sweep of the campus and no explosive devices were found. Classes remain cancelled for the rest of the day. Please continue to report any suspicious activity to campus security.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news coverage; exact wording not confirmed
The lockdown was lifted by approximately 9 a.m. EST -- well before the caller's threatened noon detonation -- but classes were cancelled for the remainder of the day
The lunchtime gunman threat did not materialize, consistent with the hoax pattern across the broader wave
Context

Background

Bethune-Cookman University, founded by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1904, received what was arguably the most alarming threat in the January 31, 2022 HBCU bomb wave. According to Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young, an anonymous male called dispatch at approximately 4:35 a.m. EST and stayed on the line for about 20 minutes, explicitly claiming affiliation with the Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi accelerationist group linked to multiple murders. The caller described seven bombs containing C-4 hidden in duffel bags and backpacks around the campus perimeter, said they would be detonated at noon, and warned that an armed gunman would arrive around 12:30 p.m. The level of operational detail -- naming a specific extremist organization, specifying explosive type and delivery method, giving precise detonation and shooter timelines -- distinguished this threat from the more generic bomb calls received by other HBCUs that day. The campus was placed on lockdown with students sheltering in dorms; the lockdown was lifted by approximately 9 a.m. EST after a building-by-building sweep found nothing. The FBI investigated the broader campaign as racially motivated, eventually identifying a single juvenile believed responsible for the majority of the HBCU threats.
Analysis

Key Findings

The Atomwaffen Division claim represented a significant escalation in threat specificity, potentially designed to maximize terror even as a hoax
The dual-threat structure (bombs plus a gunman, with stated detonation and shooting times) forced campus security to prepare for two simultaneous scenarios, stretching resources
Bethune-Cookman chose a lockdown with shelter-in-place in dorms rather than an evacuation, and lifted the order before the caller's stated noon detonation deadline
Outcome
Campus placed on lockdown shortly before 5 a.m. and searched building by building. Lockdown lifted by approximately 9 a.m. EST after no explosive devices or armed individual were found; classes remained cancelled for the rest of the day. FBI investigated as part of the broader HBCU bomb threat campaign.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Bomb threats target HBCUs, including Bethune-Cookman -- Daytona Beach News-Journal
    news-journalonline.com
  2. News
    Multiple HBCUs receive bomb threats; Atomwaffen Division named -- ABC News
    abcnews.go.com
Tags
bomb-threathbcuhbcu-bomb-wave-2022racially-motivatedcoordinated-threatatomwaffen-claimfloridaUnfounded
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion