Bomb Threat Investigation Remains Open But Inactive

The investigation following a November bomb threat remains open but inactive, according to Harvard University Police Department spokesperson Steven G. Catalano.

About four months ago, police received an unconfirmed bomb threat via email and immediately evacuated students from Harvard’s Science Center and Sever, Emerson, and Thayer Halls. Officers restricted access to Harvard Yard and surrounded some areas with caution tape.

After searching all four buildings, police allowed students to re-enter the buildings in the afternoon.

The investigation has not been formally closed, Catalano wrote in an email, declining to comment further.

The incident was strikingly similar to one in December 2013, when students evacuated the same four buildings in response to an emailed bomb threat. Eldo Kim, formerly a member of the College’s Class of 2016, confessed to that threat and was later charged before entering a pretrial diversion program to avoid jail time.

The November scare also occurred a few days after terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut, contributing to an unsettling atmosphere on campus.

Nearby universities and schools, including Cape Cod Community College and Cambridge public schools, also received unconfirmed bomb threats during that week.

—Staff writer Beth Young can be reached at beth.young@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @thebethyoung.