Two buildings at the University of Minnesota were evacuated after a student who was trying to avoid class said she had heard three Somali students plotting.
By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Anderson Hall and the Hubert H. Humphrey Center, both on the school's West Bank near Washington Avenue, were closed and emptied shortly after 7 a.m. after the student's bogus report, said university spokesman Dan Wolter.
Once the threat was determined to be a lie, building inspections stopped and the building reopened at about 8:30 a.m., Wolter said.
"After confronting her about the discrepancies in her story, she eventually confessed to making the story up," he said. "My understanding is [she lied] to get out of going to class."
The student, who is white and 19 years old, described the people she overheard as "three Somali males" who also had classes Tuesday morning in those buildings, said University Police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner.
"Obviously, there are issues about that, using them as the bad guys," Miner said, adding that the student's identification was being withheld pending her arrest.
Salma Hussein, a sophomore and secretary of the U's Somali Student Association, said, "This is really sad that a person who goes to the university would think that low of other students."
Hussein, 19, said there are about 400 full- and part-time Somali students at the U, including 100 freshmen. "All of us come to campus to get an education," Hussein said. "We really want to excel and contribute to our community."
Wolter said police will submit a case to prosecutors for possible criminal charges of filing a false police report. The student also faces possible school discipline regardless of how her legal troubles play out, he said.
Miner said that the "first thing that does cross our mind is a student trying to get out of a class or a test," adding that police have heard these yarns before. He said that "a lot of resources go into" responding to bomb threats.
The university has several options for notifying the entire campus when threats are made, but none was initiated, Wolter said. "We did have the text message ready to roll [until the student confessed]," he said, referring to a cell-phone notification system that students, staff and other employees can sign up for.
Anderson Hall includes lecture halls and offices. The Hubert H. Humphrey Center most notably includes the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, as well as classrooms.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482