Campus Alert Archive
FSU

Bomb threat traced overseas empties an education building and a satellite campus

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FLbomb threatemergency notificationhigh confidence
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UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On July 14, 2022, Florida State University received a vague bomb threat -- originating from a number traced to Ethiopia -- and evacuated the Stone Building on West Call Street, which houses the College of Education. An FSU Alert was sent at 12:08 p.m. EDT, warning the campus community of heavy police presence. Capitol Police K-9 units swept the building, found nothing, and an all-clear was issued at 1:15 p.m. The threat also affected FSU's Panama City satellite campus. FSUPD said the threat had 'no credibility.'

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Florida State University
Public R1 · FL
All FSU cases →
~45,000 studentsFSU Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how FSU says it will use FSU ALERT: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatim284 chars
There is a heavy police presence in the area of the Stone Building. The building has been evacuated in an abundance of caution. Please avoid the area until further notice. More information will be provided when it becomes available. https://manager.everbridge.net/pub/3009230181239159
Verify this quote
@FSUAlert on X (verbatim raw t.co)x.comfind archived copies
The FSU Alert was sent at approximately 12:08 p.m. EDT on July 14, 2022, warning of heavy police presence at the Stone Building on West Call Street
The Stone Building houses FSU's College of Education; the bomb threat was described as 'vague' by law enforcement regarding its location on campus
Both the main Tallahassee campus and FSU's Panama City satellite campus received threats and were evacuated as a precaution
ALL CLEARTwitter/X+1h 7m
Verified verbatim134 chars
All warnings have expired or been cancelled. Resume normal activities responsibly. https://manager.everbridge.net/pub/3009230181239311
Verify this quote
@FSUAlert on X (verbatim raw t.co)x.comfind archived copies
The all-clear was issued at 1:15 p.m. EDT, approximately one hour and seven minutes after the initial FSU Alert at 12:08 p.m.
Capitol Police K-9 units assisted FSUPD in the sweep of the Stone Building
The call was traced to a number originating from Ethiopia, consistent with the broader wave of overseas-origin bomb-threat calls targeting US colleges during July 2022
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

There is a heavy police presence in the area of the Stone Building. The building has been evacuated in an abundance of caution. Please avoid the area until further notice. More information will be provided when it becomes available. https://manager.everbridge.net/pub/3009230181239159

  • Sourceabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous across all 24 reads that no sender, agency, or branded system identifies itself; only a generic Everbridge link appears with no named issuing authority.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No sender or agency named, just describes 'heavy police presence'.
    2. absent: No sender, agency, or branded signature identified in the text.
    3. absent: No named authority; only a generic Everbridge system link with no sender identified.
    4. absent: No sender, agency, or branded system named anywhere in the text.
    5. absent: No sender or authority named in the text itself.
    6. absent: No sender or authority named in the text itself.
    7. absent: No sender or authority identified.
    8. absent: No sender or agency named; only a generic link is given.
    9. absent: No agency or branded signature identifies who is sending this
    10. absent: No sender or authority named, only a generic notice with a link.
    11. absent: No sender or authority named in the text itself.
    12. absent: No sender or authority named in the message text.
    13. absent: No named sender or authority in the text itself.
    14. absent: No identified sender or agency named in the text.
    15. absent: No agency or sender named, just describes police presence generically.
    16. absent: No sender identity or agency named, only a generic Everbridge link.
    17. absent: No agency or sender named, only a generic Everbridge link
    18. absent: No sender or authority named, only a link to a portal.
    19. absent: No sender or agency identifies itself; only "heavy police presence" is mentioned generically.
    20. absent: No sender, agency, or branded signature identified in the text.
    21. absent: No sender or authority named in the text itself.
    22. absent: No specific authority named beyond generic 'police presence'.
    23. absent: No sender or authority named, just describes police presence.
    24. absent: No sender or authority identified in the text itself.
    25. absent: No sender or authority named, only describes police presence generically.
  • Hazardabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous agreement that no specific hazard is named, only the vague 'heavy police presence' with no stated cause.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No specific hazard named, only 'heavy police presence' cause unstated.
    2. absent: Only "heavy police presence" mentioned, no specific threat named.
    3. absent: 'heavy police presence' does not name a specific threat.
    4. absent: Only 'heavy police presence' described, no specific threat named.
    5. absent: Only 'heavy police presence', no specific threat named.
    6. absent: Only "heavy police presence," no specific hazard type named.
    7. absent: Only says 'heavy police presence', no specific hazard named.
    8. absent: Only "heavy police presence" mentioned, no specific threat named.
    9. absent: Only 'heavy police presence' given, no specific hazard named
    10. absent: Only 'heavy police presence', no specific threat named.
    11. absent: Only 'heavy police presence', no specific threat named.
    12. absent: Only 'heavy police presence' stated, no specific threat named.
    13. absent: Only 'heavy police presence' given, no specific hazard named.
    14. absent: Only 'heavy police presence' mentioned, no specific hazard named.
    15. absent: Only 'heavy police presence' mentioned, no specific threat named.
    16. absent: Only 'heavy police presence', no specific hazard type named.
    17. absent: Only says 'heavy police presence', no specific threat named
    18. absent: Only 'heavy police presence' given, no specific hazard named.
    19. absent: No specific threat is named, just "police presence".
    20. absent: Only 'heavy police presence' is mentioned, no specific threat named.
    21. absent: Only says 'heavy police presence', no specific threat named.
    22. absent: 'Heavy police presence' is vague, no specific threat named.
    23. absent: Only 'heavy police presence', no specific threat named.
    24. absent: Only 'heavy police presence', no specific threat named.
    25. absent: Only 'heavy police presence', no specific threat type stated.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 24 reads agree the location is specifically named: the area of the Stone Building.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    2. present: Names "the Stone Building".
    3. present: 'the area of the Stone Building'.
    4. present: 'the area of the Stone Building'.
    5. present: Names 'Stone Building'.
    6. present: Names "Stone Building."
    7. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    8. present: Names "the Stone Building".
    9. present: 'Stone Building' names the location
    10. present: Names 'Stone Building'.
    11. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    12. present: 'the area of the Stone Building' given.
    13. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    14. present: Names the Stone Building.
    15. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    16. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    17. present: Names 'the Stone Building'
    18. present: 'the Stone Building' names the location.
    19. present: Names the Stone Building.
    20. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    21. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    22. present: 'Stone Building' specified.
    23. present: Names 'Stone Building'.
    24. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
    25. present: Names 'the Stone Building'.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 24 reads agree the alert directly instructs recipients to avoid the area until further notice.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Instructs to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
    2. present: Instructs "Please avoid the area until further notice".
    3. present: 'Please avoid the area until further notice'.
    4. present: 'Please avoid the area until further notice.'
    5. present: Tells recipients to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
    6. present: Instructs "avoid the area until further notice."
    7. present: Instructs to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
    8. present: Instructs to "avoid the area until further notice".
    9. present: 'Please avoid the area until further notice' instructs action
    10. present: Instructs to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
    11. present: Tells recipients to avoid the area until further notice.
    12. present: 'Please avoid the area until further notice'.
    13. present: Instructs to avoid the area.
    14. present: Instructs to avoid the area until further notice.
    15. present: Instructs to avoid the area until further notice.
    16. present: Instructs to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
    17. present: Instructs 'Please avoid the area until further notice'
    18. present: 'Please avoid the area until further notice.'
    19. present: Instructs readers to avoid the area.
    20. present: Instructs to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
    21. present: Tells recipients to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
    22. present: 'Please avoid the area until further notice.'
    23. present: Instructs to avoid the area.
    24. present: Instructs to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
    25. present: Instructs to 'avoid the area until further notice'.
  • Timeabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous across all 24 reads that no clock time or date is given anywhere in the message.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No clock time or date given.
    2. absent: No clock time or specific recency marker given.
    3. absent: No time or date given.
    4. absent: No time or date reference given.
    5. absent: No time or date given.
    6. absent: No time or date reference given.
    7. absent: No time or date given.
    8. absent: No specific time or date given.
    9. absent: No specific time reference given
    10. absent: No time given.
    11. absent: No specific time or recency marker given.
    12. absent: No time or date reference given.
    13. absent: No specific time or recency stated.
    14. absent: No specific time reference given.
    15. absent: No time or date reference given.
    16. absent: No specific time or date given.
    17. absent: No clock time or recency marker beyond 'now'
    18. absent: No time or date given.
    19. absent: No time or date reference is given.
    20. absent: No specific time or date given.
    21. absent: No specific time or recency marker given.
    22. absent: No specific time given.
    23. absent: No time given, only 'until further notice'.
    24. absent: No time or date given.
    25. absent: No specific time or date given.
  • Impactabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous across all 24 reads that no consequence or severity is stated.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    2. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    3. absent: No stated consequence.
    4. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    5. absent: No consequence stated.
    6. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    7. absent: No stated consequence.
    8. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    9. absent: No stated consequence
    10. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    11. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    12. absent: No statement of potential harm or severity.
    13. absent: No stated consequence.
    14. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    15. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    16. absent: No stated potential harm.
    17. absent: No stated consequence or severity
    18. absent: No statement of potential harm.
    19. absent: No consequence or severity is described.
    20. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    21. absent: No statement of potential harm or severity.
    22. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    23. absent: No stated consequence.
    24. absent: No stated potential harm.
    25. absent: No stated consequence or severity.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

On July 14, 2022, Florida State University became part of a nationwide wave of bomb threats that struck dozens of colleges across multiple states in mid-July. FSUPD noted the call originated from Ethiopia, consistent with a pattern of overseas-origin calls targeting U.S. educational institutions that summer. The Stone Building -- home to FSU's College of Education -- was evacuated, and Capitol Police K-9 units swept the building before the all-clear was given at 1:15 p.m. EDT. The threat also touched FSU's satellite campus in Panama City, which was given a separate all-clear by local law enforcement. The July 2022 wave included threats to Eastern Florida State College, Florida Gateway College, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Peninsula Community College, multiple Louisiana community colleges, Kansas community colleges, Michigan colleges, and dozens of others -- a pattern that federal investigators linked to overseas callers. The FBI had concluded by then that the majority of the earlier 2022 HBCU bomb threats were attributed to a single domestic juvenile suspect, while the summer 2022 community-college wave appeared to have different origins.
Outcome
Stone Building and FSU Panama City satellite evacuated. Capitol Police K-9 units swept both locations. FSUPD declared no credibility. All-clear issued at 1:15 p.m. EDT. Threat call originated from a number traced to Ethiopia, consistent with the broader July 2022 wave hitting dozens of US colleges.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. News
    Police presence at FSU's Stone Building cleared after bomb threat (WCTV)
    wctv.tv
    archived copy
  2. News
    A bomb threat at Florida State University follows those at other schools in recent days and months (WFSU News)
    news.wfsu.org
    archived copy
  3. News
    FSU bomb threat has 'no credibility,' deputies say (WFLA)
    wfla.com
    archived copy
  4. News
    Update: All clear issued at Florida State University after building closures (First Coast News)
    firstcoastnews.com
    archived copy
  5. News
    Police give all-clear after bomb threat made at FSU Panama City (WJHG)
    wjhg.com
    archived copy
  6. Social
    @FSUAlert Stone Building evacuation
    x.com
    archived copy
  7. Social
    @FSUAlert Stone Building all-clear
    x.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Florida State University: Bomb threat traced overseas empties an education building and a satellite campus." Incident of July 14, 2022. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/florida-state-university-stone-building-bomb-threat-2022-07-14/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
bomb-threatoverseas-callernational-wavepublic-r1floridatallahasseesummer-2022k9-responsecommunity-college-wavestone-buildingUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion