Exam Week Bomb Threat Turns Out to Be Hoax at Harvard

All Harvard University buildings are back open after a bomb scare on Monday morning and afternoon.

Hundreds of students and faculty were evacuated on Monday during final exam week; the tests were postponed.

Harvard evacuated The Science Center, and Thayer, Sever and Emerson Hall buildings after an email reportedly threatened that explosives were planted in the four buildings. Multiple law enforcement agencies – including federal agencies, Massachusetts State Police and local and college police – searched the buildings.

Find the moment-by-moment updates of the evacuation and search here.

Police searched the buildings, as well as the nearby MBTA station, for any explosives and did not find any devices. 

Thayer and Emerson Hall buildings were reopened at about 1 p.m., Sever Hall and Harvard Yard opened about 2 p.m. and then The Science Center was reopened at about 2:30 p.m.

"At this time, we know of no specific threat to campus and activities are returning to normal,” Harvard University officials said late Monday afternoon.

While law enforcement officials were at Harvard, UMass Boston reported around noontime that the school’s McCormack Building was being evacuated after a report of a “possible person with a firearm.”

Within a short time, Mass State Police reported that the threat was a “false report” and there was no problem at UMass Boston.