Pitt police investigate ‘person of interest’ following third bomb threat

By The Pitt News Staff

Pitt police are investigating a “person of interest” regarding the recent spate of bomb… Pitt police are investigating a “person of interest” regarding the recent spate of bomb threats made against the Cathedral of Learning. The investigation began Thursday, following the third alarm to evacuate the Cathedral in nine days.

Robert Hill, a university spokesman, said in an email that Pitt police have identified a person of interest, but have neither made any arrests nor identified a suspect.

Pitt sent out an Emergency Notification System alert at 9:46 a.m. informing students that a general bomb threat had been received for the Cathedral. Like the two previous threats, no time or location within the building was specified in the threat. The threat concluded with another ENS alert, sent out at 11:39 a.m.

After the second threat on Monday, Pitt Police chief Tim Delaney said that for security reasons, he declined to discuss anything about the threats, including where they are coming from, what the punishment for the false alarm might be, and if the police believe the incidents are related.

Pitt police evacuated the building at the time of the threat, and many people left the area surrounding the Cathedral, not bothering to wait to head back inside. Some professors, however, continued their classes outside.

Senior Natalia Holliday said the number of bomb threats is getting extremely “irritating.”

“Someday, no one is going to take it seriously,” she said as she stood outside the Cathedral, waiting to go back inside.

Sociology major Patrick Beymer is taking the situation lightly.

“I think it’s a fire sale,” he said, referring to the “Die Hard” movies. “Hopefully Bruce Willis and Justin Long will be here soon to save the day.”