Campus Alert Archive
MSU

Phoned-In Bomb Threat Forces Evacuation of 400 from Hannah Administration Building

MIbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On September 6, 2019, Michigan State University received a bomb threat phoned into police dispatch at approximately 10:45 AM EDT targeting the Hannah Administration Building, where the new president and trustees were meeting. MSU Police posted an evacuation message to Facebook at 10:59 AM, and the formal campus-wide MSU Alert was sent to students at 11:23 AM. Approximately 400 people were evacuated. Police cleared and reopened the building at 12:45 PM after finding no suspicious materials.

Alerts
2
Response
14 min
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Michigan State University
Public R1 · MI
~50,000 studentsMSU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Verified verbatimDetroit News quoting MSU Police's 10:59 a.m. Facebook alert verbatim251 chars
a person reported a bomb threat at or near Administration Hannah Building. We are asking you to evacuate Administration Hannah Building immediately and report any unattended packages, suspicious activity or persons to Michigan State University Police.
MSU Police posted this exact message on its Facebook page at 10:59 a.m. EDT on September 6, 2019
The bomb threat was received via phone call at approximately 10:45 AM EDT, putting the public-facing alert about 14 minutes after the initial report
ALL CLEARmulti-channel+1h 38m
Approximate reconstruction172 chars
MSU Alert: All Clear. The Hannah Administration Building has been cleared. No suspicious materials were found. Normal operations may resume. Thank you for your cooperation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Sent at 12:37 p.m. EDT on September 6, 2019 — about 1 hour 38 minutes after the initial alert
Detroit News reported the alert said the investigation was continuing, but people could return to the building and 'resume normal operations'
Context

Background

On September 6, 2019, Michigan State University Police received a bomb threat via phone call at approximately 10:45 AM EDT, reporting a bomb at or near the Hannah Administration Building, the university's main administrative hub. The campus alert was sent to students at 11:23 AM, approximately 38 minutes after the threat was received. About 400 people were evacuated from the building while police conducted a thorough search. MSU spokeswoman Emily Guerrant confirmed that no suspicious materials were found in the building, and the building was cleared and reopened at 12:45 PM EDT, with normal operations resuming. The incident came less than two years after the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and amid a national increase in phoned-in threats to educational institutions.
Analysis

Key Findings

MSU Police posted an evacuation message to Facebook 14 minutes after the 10:45 AM threat (10:59 AM); the formal campus-wide MSU Alert to students followed at 11:23 AM, a 38-minute gap
Approximately 400 people were evacuated from the Hannah Administration Building, MSU's main administrative center
The threat was determined to be a hoax after a thorough search found no suspicious materials
The incident highlighted the operational disruption caused by hoax bomb threats at large universities
Outcome
No suspicious materials were found. Approximately 400 people were evacuated from the Hannah Administration Building. The building was cleared and reopened at 12:45 PM EDT and normal operations resumed.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Bomb threat forces evacuation at MSU (WLNS)
    wlns.com
  2. News
    MSU's Hannah Building reopened after bomb threat (Detroit News)
    detroitnews.com
  3. News
    Bomb threat prompts evacuation at MSU (FOX 17)
    fox17online.com
  4. News
    MSU's Hannah Admin Building Evacuated Due to Bomb Threat (WKAR)
    wkar.org
Tags
bomb-threathoaxmichiganpublic-r1evacuationadministration-buildingHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion