Bomb threats not related

A bomb threat at Clapp and Langley halls this morning was not related to a threat that… A bomb threat at Clapp and Langley halls this morning was not related to a threat that partially evacuated the Cathedral of Learning last night, according to Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney.

Around 9 a.m. today Pittsburgh 911 received a call indicating that a bomb or bombs were placed in Clapp and Langley halls. Pitt police and City police arrived at the buildings shortly thereafter and immediately evacuated them, Delaney said.

Delaney also gave the order to send out an alert using Pitt’s new emergency notification system.

After closing the buildings and conducting a sweep of the premises, Delaney said police used search dogs to look for suspicious items.

When the search turned up nothing, Delaney allowed the buildings to be reopened and sent out an “all clear” message through the alert system shortly after 10 a.m.

Minutes after 5 p.m. yesterday, Pitt police received a call from a woman in the Cathedral of Learning who had seen a suspicious message written on the wall of a second floor bathroom.

The message, which Delaney said was unclear and somewhat nonsensical, indicated that some sort of bomb or explosion would go off at 5 p.m. at an unnamed location.

Delaney said that his decision not to send out an emergency notification in this instance was based on the fact that the threat gave no specific location and was found after the timeframe stated within the threat had passed.

“The more information you have, the more concerned you become,” he said.

Officers conducted a sweep of the Cathedral and instituted a voluntary evacuation of students, faculty and staff.

As for tracking down this morning’s 911 caller, “Pittsburgh police and 911 are working with Verizon, and all I can say is the investigation is ongoing,” Delaney said.