Harvard Bomb Threat Unsubstantiated, but Investigation Ongoing

Harvard University responded to an "unconfirmed bomb threat" Monday by evacuating four buildings and restricting access on and off the Yard, but the suspected areas were ultimately deemed safe and re-opened later in the day.

The university shut down the Science Center along with Sever, Emerson, and Thayer halls around 12:30 p.m. Monday after receiving an email bomb threat, Boston.com reported. Harvard was reportedly one of several schools in the state of Massachusetts to receive bomb threats Monday.

By 5:40 p.m., the school's emergency webpage had cleared the campus.

"Nothing to substantiate the emailed threat has been found and the investigation regarding the source is ongoing," a notice read.

"The safety and security of members of the Harvard community is always our top priority," Harvard executive vice president Katie Lapp said in a statement. "In the wake of recent tragic events in locations ranging from Paris to Beirut and beyond, we understand that this type of threat will cause great anxiety for many across our campuses. We will continue to be vigilant as we carry on Harvard's mission of expanding and disseminating knowledge."

Harvard University Police Department spokesperson Steven G. Catalano told The Harvard Crimson that it was following through with an "active and ongoing investigation" to identify who made the threat, which authorities received by email shortly before the evacuation.

Cambridge police dispatched officers, detectives, and bomb squad specialists to Harvard to help with the investigation, according to the campus newspaper. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also took part in the investigation.

A similar bomb threat at Cape Cod Community College in Barnstable, Massachusetts, Monday was later determined to be a hoax, Massachusetts State Police told the Boston Globe. The threat, discovered on a wall at the college on Sunday, led school officials to canceling classes until noon Monday.

"Results are negative," state police spokesman David Procopio told the Globe after a bomb squad swept the area. "Local and campus police will handle follow up investigation into hoax threat."

Cambridge police also said that it received an anonymous blog post Monday morning that said someone was planning to bomb "Cambridge mass city schools." School superintendent Jeffrey Young said nothing was found after a search of its buildings, according to Boston.com.

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