Pitt spokesperson said FBI leads bomb threat investigation

For the first time since a series of bomb threats emptied out Pitt buildings more than 140… For the first time since a series of bomb threats emptied out Pitt buildings more than 140 times, the University has said it is not taking the lead in the investigation.

Pitt spokesman Robert Hill said in an email that the FBI is in charge of the follow-up investigation, the first time either the University or the FBI has stated who holds the primary role in continuing to investigate the case. Hill declined further comment, however, and the FBI did not return multiple requests for comment.

“Because the FBI is in charge of the investigation, I am able to provide you with neither update nor comment,” Hill said in the email.

Other investigators also declined to say much but did state that the investigation is not over.

Pitt police, who participated in bomb-threat sweeps of threatened buildings, have indicated they will continue to contribute to the investigation.

“I would like to contribute [comment on the state of the investigation] at some point, but we are not at that point since there is very active investigation ongoing,” Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney said in an email. “What I can say is we continue to investigate the threats vigorously.”

The threats began on Feb. 13, when a threat was found written in a bathroom stall in Chevron Science Center. The threats continued coming primarily through emails to University officials and local news outlets through April 20, when a group claiming responsibility for the threats sent an email to The Pitt News claiming it would stop the threats if the University dropped the $50,000 dollar reward it had offered for details leading to an arrest in the case. The University dropped the reward on April 21, and no subsequent threats have been made.

In recent weeks, the investigation has resulted in the confiscation of a computer server believed to have been used by the bomb threateners to relay their messages.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, last week authorities returned the confiscated server to May Day/FirstLink, a New York-based server hosting service. Though owned by May Day/FirstLink, the server was operated by an Italian-based provider, European Counter Network, that allows users to send anonymous emails.

The investigation surrounding persons of interest Seamus Johnston and Katherine Anne McClosky, a transgender couple from Johnstown, also continues. Johnston was formally a student at Pitt Johnstown. The FBI returned confiscated computer equipment and other materials to Johnston and McClosky sometime last week.

On April 18, McClosky and Johnston first appeared before a federal grand jury in Allegheny County and Judge Nora Barry Fischer. They will appear before the judge again on May 22.

Johnson and McClosky both maintain their innocence.

“I do not know what the government’s intentions are. I wasn’t involved. Very simple,” Johnston said.

The couple contend that the continued pressure from law enforcement might have resulted from charges Johnston is pressing against the University.

Jerome Cochran, Pitt’s executive vice chancellor and a member of the Office of General Counsel of the University, previously confirmed that, in November, Johnston was arrested for and charged with indecent exposure, defiant trespass and disorderly conduct after he showered and changed in a men’s locker room on the Johnstown branch campus. That situation resulted in Johnston’s explusion.

Last month, the former Pitt student filed a complaint against the University with the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations. Pitt is expected to respond to the complaint by May 17.

“I believe that if Pitt administration doesn’t care about illegal retaliation in one form (my expulsion and criminal charges), they probably don’t care about doing it in another way (using our government during a terrorist investigation),” Johnston said in an email.

Judge Fischer’s chamber declined to comment.

While the investigation continues, the visibly heightened security measures enacted on campus during the bomb threats have ceased.

In response to the series of threats, the University placed security checkpoints at campus building entrances starting on April 8. Guards would check bags and require valid Pitt IDs for entrance. There were also a limited number of open entrances and restricted access at many campus buildings.

About a week after the most recent bomb threat, the visible security measures vanished at many buildings, including the William Pitt Union, the Cathedral of Learning, Alumni Hall and Hillman Library.

“The successful, intense and less-disruptive safety and security measures that were established for the week of finals continue to be in place,” Hill said in an email last week.

When specifically asked about the visible removal of security checkpoints, Hill said, “The University does [not] wish to give details of this phase of the enhanced security to avoid compromising it; thus, I have no additional comment.”