News
OU Mentioned in Supposed ISIS Threat
< < Back toFederal and local authorities are investigating claims of a terroristic threat that mentions Ohio University. The purported ISIS threat was made via social media.
The university’s police chief, Andrew Powers, sent an email to students and staff stating, “OUPD, in consultation with state and federal partners, believe the risk associated with the post to be low at this time.”
According to the OUPD email, the social media post included a picture and mention of a particular academic department but there was no detailed threat against any one person. Investigators contacted members of the academic department separately.
WOUB News will keep you updated on this situation as more information becomes available.
Here is the email from Chief Powers in its entirety:
Dear University Community,
Ohio University Police are investigating a threatening post, made through a social media account, which mentions Ohio University. OUPD, in consultation with state and federal partners, believe the risk associated with the post to be low at this time.
The social media account purports to be associated with ISIS. Thousands of social media accounts claim a connection to ISIS, and post threats daily against organizations across the country. However, those threats and affiliations are often not authentic.
An image of a document posted on the social media account contained directory information of one of our academic departments that is routinely available through public platforms. It DID NOT include any personal or home-related information. Members in the academic department have been contacted in a separate correspondence.
To be clear, the post contained no specific threat against any individual but simply referenced Ohio University.
Again, I consider the threat associated with this post to be low and am sharing this information, in an abundance of caution, to raise awareness.
Sincerely,
Andrew D. Powers
Chief of Ohio University Police Department