Unknown bomb threat for LCCC

By: Richard Pietrick

Posted: 9/12/07

An Ohio University employee working at Lorain County Community College received an e-mail Aug. 29 saying there was a bomb on campus.

The email, according to FBI spokesman Scott Wilson, was one of many bomb threats sent to Ohio colleges that Wednesday. Similar threats were also received at The University of Akron and Kenyon University.

"We feel that this was part of a large-scale e-mail across the country," said Wilson.

When asked about the nature of the threatening e-mail LCCC Vice President David Cummings said, "It was extremely generic… the basic message of the e-mail was 'There is a bomb on campus. if you touch it, it will explode.'"

LCCC Campus Security still took precautionary measures, and working with members of the Physical Plant, swept the University Center for suspicious packages.

Interim Director of Campus Security Keith Brown said via e-mail, "According to the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, these e-mailed threats 'share many of the same characteristics as past hoax threats which are sent en masse to various commercial, public and private organizations.'"

The FBI, Brown continued, "have determined that the "potential risk of violence, as described in the e-mails, is LOW."

Authorities have made no arrests and are still working on identifying the origin of the threatening e-mails.

According to a statement by the FBI, no additional information is available at presstime.