Collegiate Times

The Virginia Tech Police Department and the FBI continue to investigate threatening postings made over YouTube and via e-mail this week, as rumors of more specific threats circulate.

Related:

SGA President Brandon Carroll's letter to the editor

University president Charles Steger sent an e-mail to the Tech community yesterday afternoon. The message was regarding an individual who has been creating threatening posts on YouTube as well as sending threatening e-mails to members of the Tech community, including students and university employees.

Steger’s e-mail stated that there have been many rumors circulating about a potential specific threat.

“The individual responsible has made threats about March 18 as a day of possible action when he might commit harm. Given all that this university has endured, I can understand how this can be very upsetting to the university community,” the e-mail said.

The Collegiate Times obtained a copy of an e-mail forwarded through multiple listservs and Facebook groups that addressed the alleged threat.

The e-mail referenced an incident that occurred in the apartment complex of the sender’s friend, Foxridge.

The sender wrote, “two nights ago, someone tried to break in the apartment right across from (the sender’s friend). The people that live there have also been getting death threats that is assumed to come from that Italian guy that’s been making those Youtube videos.”

The e-mail went on to say, “my friend talked to Blacksburg and VT police and they’re taking this guy’s threats more seriously this time because he has given a threat with a specific date saying stuff like ‘3/18 is going to be the next 4/16.’”

Steger’s e-mail Wednesday afternoon stated that many of the e-mail and Facebook notes that are currently circulating such information are “making their own conclusions not based on factual information.

“People are linking local events, such as alleged break-ins, with these threatening posts and e-mails, which are not borne out by the facts. All the indicators reviewed by law enforcement do not point to an immediate threat,” Steger’s e-mail said.

Although Steger’s e-mail on Wednesday stated that the university would be open as normal on Thursday, many of the persons who had forwarded the original e-mail included warnings to their friends such as, “please stay safe,” “I’m not going to class Thursday,” and “I’m encouraging you to skip classes.”

On March 10, over spring break, Tech police sent an e-mail to students informing them of the original investigation.

Since Friday, March 5, YouTube postings that made “numerous threats against the Tech community,” according to the March 10 e-mail, were noticed on the Web site. These threats allegedly referenced the April 16, 2007 shootings and shooter Seung-Hui Cho. Tech police believe the same user made multiple accounts on the Web site to harass the Tech community. The person’s posts originated in Italy.

Wednesday’s e-mail letter from Steger stated “the individual responsible has continued to send e-mails to students and university employees over the last several days.”

It also confirmed “university police have been following all leads and continue to believe these threats emanate from Italy.”

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A version of this article appeared in the Mar 18 issue of the Collegiate Times.