Classes will remain remote for Tuesday, spokesperson Steve Ritea told CNN via email, after they were moved online due to “threats sent to some members of our community,” the university tweeted late Monday.
A former lecturer and postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Los Angeles sent email threats to students and faculty members, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times. Leaders of the school’s philosophy department, where the former lecturer had worked, warned students and faculty about the threats toward the department, according to emails from the department to students and faculty that the Times obtained.
The messages from the former lecturer included a link to his YouTube video and a manifesto outlining threats, reported UCLA’s student newspaper, the Daily Bruin, citing communications from the philosophy department to students and faculty. It was not clear whether the former lecturer sent any direct threats of a mass shooting, the paper said.
“I want to inform you that the UCLA Police Department is aware of a concerning email and posting sent to some members of the UCLA community today and we are actively engaged with out-of-state law enforcement and federal agencies at this time. We will update our Bruin community later this evening as we learn more,” UCLA Vice Chancellor Michael Beck said Monday night in an Instagram post.
“We do not have specific information that this individual is in CA,” the school’s tweet said. “Out of an abundance of caution, all classes will be held remotely Feb. 1. We will keep you updated.”
Monday was the first day UCLA students were on campus for in-person learning after the Omicron coronavirus surge forced the university to move classes online.
UCLA’s shift to remote learning came on the same day several historically black colleges and universities had to lock down or postpone classes due to bomb threats. Tuesday is the first day of Black History Month.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated in the headline that the person who made threats is in custody. The person is under observation.
