Texas campuses declared safe after bomb threats evacuation

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Tens of thousands of people streamed off university campuses in Texas, North Dakota and Ohio on Friday after telephoned bomb threats prompted officials to warn students and faculty to get away as quickly as possible. All three campuses eventually were deemed safe and reopened by the evening, as authorities worked to determine whether the threats were related.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was working to determine whether the threats to the University of Texas, North Dakota State University, and Hiram College in Ohio were related. No explosives were found.

The University of Texas (UT) received a call about 8.35am (9.30pm Singapore time) from a man claiming to be with Al-Qaeda who said he had placed bombs all over the 50,000-student Austin campus, according to University of Texas spokesman Rhonda Weldon. He claimed the bombs would go off in 90 minutes and all buildings were evacuated as a precaution, Ms Weldon said.

The deadline passed without incident, and the university reopened all buildings by noon. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day, but other university activities were to resume by 5pm local time.