University Of Chicago Cancels Classes After Getting Anonymous Gun Threat

All classes and activities were canceled at the University of Chicago's main campus today due to threats of an attack.

According to The New York Times, an anonymous source posted an online message threatening gun violence at 10 am Monday at the often-crowded campus quad.

The FBI informed the university of this message on Sunday and determined the threat should be taken seriously.

All students, non-medical faculty and non-essential staff members were, therefore, told not to come to the university's Hyde Park campus for the entirety of the day.

Residents of on-campus dormitories were asked to stay indoors.

Security and police presence increased throughout the campus as FBI investigators work to identify the individual who posted the threat, Daily Mail reports.

University President Robert J. Zimmer said in a statement the decision to cancel classes was also influenced by "recent tragic events at other campuses across the country."

All events at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, the University of Chicago Charter School campuses and the Quadrangle Club were canceled as well.

Several Hyde Park campus facilities like the university's libraries are reportedly closed for the day, but the University of Chicago Medical Center will continue to receive patients.

Classes and activities are expected to resume tomorrow.

Citations: University of Chicago Cancels Classes After Online Threat (The New York Times), University of Chicago main campus cancels Monday's classes after receiving a gun threat online (Daily Mail), Monday Classes and Activities at Hyde Park Campus Canceled Due to Threat (UChicago News)