OSU PD and bomb sniffing dogs were seen outside Thompson Library on Oct. 27. Police said they were there to answer questions for students and to walk around the area. Credit: Samantha Hollingshead / Photo Editor
The Ohio State Department of Public Safety sent a bulk email warning early Tuesday morning after an anonymous “threat of violence to the campus community” was posted online.
The email, sent to students, staff and faculty, stated the threat was made online, but offered no other details as to when the threat was received or to its nature.
“It is out of an abundance of caution that we share this information and remind everyone to be observant and aware,” the email stated.
University Police were unable to provide further details of the threat.
The email stated University Police were working with law enforcement partners to investigate the threat and are taking appropriate campus safety measures.
The university email stated any reports of suspicious behavior should be directed to University Police by calling 614-292-2121.
Update Oct. 27 at 1:40 a.m.: The university’s Columbus campus was open and operating as normal as of 1:40 a.m., according to the OSU Emergency Management website and information phone line.
Update Oct. 27 at 11:52 a.m.: Ohio State Police say no arrests have been made on the Oval relating to today’s threat. University Police are patrolling in the area near the Oval.
Update Oct. 27 at 1:40 p.m.: OSU has released the threat posed to the OSU community. Translated from Esperanto, a constructed international language, the online post read, “If you live in the Ohio State University, I warn you. Tomorrow at 15 hours, I will kill students and teachers with guns. I have guns and explosives in my room, which I will use.” This message matches a screenshot published on Twitter by Wes Platt, creator of OtherSpace, the online gaming platform to which the threat was originally posted last night. The threatening party posted the threat using Tor, a software that enables anonymity online. Platt told The Lantern he first contacted University Police and then the FBI.
