A University of Illinois, Chicago, engineering student was arrested Monday in connection with threats made against students at the University of Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The Regenstein Library on the campus of the University of Chicago
Classes were canceled on Monday following notice from the FBI that a threat of gun violence had been posted on the Internet. The threat described a detailed plan to “do my part and rid the world of white devils.”
On its face, that appears to be a threat against White students, and it was directed toward University of Chicago students less than a week after video footage from the police had been released showing a Black teenager, Laquan McDonald, being shot 16 times.
Following the arrest of Jabari R Dean, 21, the University of Chicago said in a statement that operations would return to normal on December 1. Mr Dean has been charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. The maximum sentence he faces is five years in prison.
The University of Chicago acknowledged the professionalism of the law enforcement response and the support of members of the university community in handling the threat and brief disruption to classes:
We are deeply grateful to the University of Chicago Police Department, the FBI, the Chicago Police Department, and other law enforcement offices for their timely, professional, and effective response to this security concern. We are also indebted to our elected officials for their support. I want to express my great admiration for and appreciation of members of our community — including faculty, students, staff, and friends — for their mutually supportive and thoughtful approach in what has been a challenging day.
