LSU campus evacuated after bomb threat, university says

Traffic stands still near LSU's campus Sept. 17, 2012.

By Sevil Omer, NBC News

Updated at 4:42 p.m. ET: A bomb threat forced the evacuation of thousands of students, professors and staff from Louisiana State University's main campus Monday, school officials said.

Students and staff were sent text messages and an alert?was posted on the campus website warning, "A bomb threat has been reported on the LSU campus. Please evacuate as calmly and quickly as possible."

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Classes and a news conference with LSU football coach Les Miles were canceled Monday due to the threat, officials said. Students and staff were asked to stay off campus as the university investigated the bomb threat.

"It is important for all members of the LSU community -- faculty, staff and students -- to remain off campus unless specifically instructed to return," the university said on its website.

View the latest developments on breakingnews.com

Capt. Doug Cain of the Louisiana State Police told The Associated Press that state police bomb technicians were on the scene. Cain said police were talking to their counterparts in states where university bomb threats were reported last week.

Police did not provide further details, steering all questions to the university's public relations office, which didn't immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.

Traffic was at a standstill. Buses loaded with students barely moved from the central part of LSU?s campus, according to The Advocate in Baton Rouge.

Andrew Arceneaux, an LSU student studying business administration, joined other students and waited for buses to arrive so they could leave campus.

?I was in the middle of taking a test and they walked in and told us we had to leave campus,? Arceneaux told the Advocate.

The LSU?campus has about 30,000 students, professors and?employees.

Both the University of Texas in Austin and North Dakota State in Fargo received?threats on Friday. The threats prompted the evacuation of both campuses. No explosives were found at either university.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/17/13918400-lsu-campus-evacuated-after-bomb-threat-university-says?lite

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