All UNB campuses reopen after receiving threat Friday
Police said they began searching the Fredericton campus around 12:30 p.m
All three University of New Brunswick campuses were evacuated Friday due to a threat, Fredericton police announced Saturday morning.
Students and staff were blocked from entering the Fredericton campus Friday afternoon, though at the time it was uncertain what had led to a police investigation on campus. Students in residence were also told to shelter in place.
"We want to thank the university community for your patience and cooperation during this investigation," the university said in a statement posted to their Twitter.
UNB alerted police to the threat around 12:20 p.m, Fredericton police said. The threat didn't specify which campus was being targeted, and the university made the decision to close all their campuses according to its safety policies and procedures, they said.
On Friday, Sept. 10, UNB received a possible bomb threat to campus. At the time the threat was received, it did not specify which campus. All campuses were evacuated as per university safety policies and procedures, while police searched for anything considered to be suspicious.
—@UNBUNB's Fredericton campus stayed closed until midnight while police searched. All three campuses have reopened.
On Friday, most police officers had left the campus by 5 p.m., leaving behind barricades at the entrances.
In updates via Twitter and on its own website, UNB reiterated there was "no immediate threat" and that the situation was "being continuously reassessed."
St. Thomas University and the New Brunswick Community College in the same area in Fredericton were also evacuated.
Anyone with information about the threat is being asked to contact Fredericton police.
Police say no charges have been laid in connection to the incident. The department was not immediately available for comment.
Armed officers spotted around campus
St. Thomas University student Brendan Ahern was in the library working on a group project Friday afternoon when he got a message from another group member who hadn't arrived.
There were police officers on campus and he wasn't being allowed in, the student told Ahern.
"That was odd ... so I stepped out to see what was going on," Ahern said.
To his surprise, he saw police officers guarding entrances, some of them holding rifles, students leaving the campus on foot and others driving away in cars.
"And then we got an email from the school," explaining that the university had been advised to close the campus and ask everyone to leave until further notice.
"It was orderly, there was no real panic ... there was a real lack of urgency in the library, I've gotta say," Ahern said.
Few details released
Around noon Friday, Fredericton police asked people to avoid the UNB area as officers were "investigating a file."
About 20 minutes later, police said UNB was evacuating the buildings "based on their policies and procedures."
In an email to St. Thomas students shortly after, president Dawn Russell said the university has been advised to close the campus.
As a precautionary measure, we are evacuating the UNB Fredericton and UNB Saint John campuses and the Moncton site immediately. Residence students should shelter in place. Further details will be provided as soon as they become available.
—@UNBRussell asked students living in residence to shelter in place and not leave their rooms until further notice.
In a notice to students, UNB said the evacuation included the campuses in Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John.
Police are on scene at UNB investigating a file. Please avoid the area. We will provide updates when it is appropriate.
—@CityFredPoliceAbout 10,000 students are enrolled at UNB and 2,000 at STU. Wednesday was the first day of classes at UNB and STU and in-person classes have resumed at both universities.
With files from Miriam Lafontaine, Hadeel Ibrahim and Marie Sutherland