ANN ARBOR – In a letter to the University of Michigan community on Sunday evening, President Mark Schlissel announced that the shooter threat made online over the weekend had been mitigated by the FBI.
Schlissel shared a statement from U-M’s Division of Public Safety & Security that read: “DPSS is confident that any threat from the post has been addressed and mitigated.”
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The threat, picked up by authorities on Saturday afternoon, was posted on a Russian-operated confessions site. In the post, the individual wrote: “On October 4th, I’m going to the University of Michigan and blow every single woman I see with an AR-15.”
Read: FBI identifies, locates suspect believed responsible for University of Michigan shooting threat
After confirming the poster’s identity, the FBI interviewed the individual and concluded there is no existing threat to the U-M community. According to President Schlissel, the FBI traced the post to the East Coast.
“While the investigation by our Division of Public Safety and Security and FBI found no threat tomorrow, the post and the hateful views it expressed are deeply frightening and upsetting, causing trauma and heightened levels of anxiety,” Schlissel wrote. “We are sad and profoundly disturbed that violence and threats directed at groups are far too frequent on our campus and across the nation.”
Schlissel announced that campus would be open as normal on Monday but urged professors to be “flexible wherever possible” since some students may have been impacted more profoundly by the threat.
Some students petitioned to make classes virtual on Monday, with some professors reportedly allowing virtual instruction.
Anyone with information about the post or other threats over campus safety are asked to contact DPSS at 734-763-1131 or dpss-safety-security@umich.edu.