Entrance to Alabama State University seen in Montgomery Ala., on Thursday September 11, 2025.

The wave of threats that canceled classes and put multiple historically Black colleges and universities on lockdown are believed to be hoaxes, federal officials said.

Alabama State University, Hampton University, Virginia State University, Southern University and A&M College, Clark Atlanta University and Bethune-Cookman University all locked down or issued shelter-in-place orders on Sept. 11, each citing potential threats made against the campuses. The FBI said in a statement that it was aware of the "hoax threat calls" but had "no information to indicate a credible threat."

“The FBI takes these threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk,” the agency said.

The apparent hoaxes come amid heightened concern over campus safety following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University. Several schools across the country were targeted with false active shooter reports in August and more than two dozen HBCUs were targeted by bomb threats in 2022, prompting a federal hate crime and violent extremism investigation.

The Congressional Black Caucus called on the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate the most recent false threats and pursue legal action against those responsible.

"The threats made against several Historically Black Colleges and Universities are not only vile - they are a chilling reminder of the relentless racism and extremism that continues to target and terrorize Black communities in this country," the Congress members said in a statement.

Threats cancel classes, events at multiple HBCUs

Virginia State shared an “urgent alert” at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 11, declaring the campus closed. The lockdown was later lifted, but the university said access to campus would remain restricted to students, faculty, and staff with a valid school ID as local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies continued to investigate the threat.

"Let us be clear: These threats are not random," Makola M. Abdullah, president of Virginia State University, said in a statement. "They are targeted attacks on institutions that have long stood as pillars of excellence, empowerment, and progress."

Classes remained canceled at Hampton University on Sept. 12, though campus partially reopened, the university said in a statement. All campus activities and classes were cancelled through the weekend at Southern University, school officials announced on social media.

The threats also disrupted classes and events at schools that weren't directly targeted. Spelman College in Atlanta briefly asked students and faculty to avoid campus and increased security measures due to a threat against nearby Clark Atlanta University.

Florida A&M University in Tallahassee suspended in-person classes on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 and canceled its presidential convocation out of an abundance of caution.

"We stand in solidarity with institutions currently under lockdown or threat and extend our support during this time," the university said in an alert message.

Alabama State, however, resumed regular operations on Sept. 12 after the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed there was "no credible threat to students, faculty or staff." The agency released a statement confirming the threats came from an email that "falsely reported an active threat on campus," and that they are working to identify the source of the email.

Contributing: Sarah Clifton, Montgomery Advertiser

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Classes canceled, heightened security at multiple HBCUs after 'hoax threat calls'

Reporting by N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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