The University Crisis Management team released a special edition of the Osprey Update this evening warning students and the university community at large of a potential bomb hoax. According to the bulletin, a group calling themselves the “Evacuation Squad” is making calls to schools in Australia, England, and France but recently crossed the Atlantic and targeted a school in Massachusetts. Spinnaker reached University of North Florida Police Chief Frank Mackesy late Friday evening, when he told us the message was realeased “as an abundance of caution.” University police believe there is no credible threat.

The information that the next targets may be in Florida came from a regional intelligence center, and targets include universities, schools, and hospitals in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia.

According to Mackesy, the call would be computer-generated and could call any phone related to the university at random.

“We wanted to release the information out of an abundance of caution to keep the campus community fully informed,” concluded Mackesy.

Anyone who receives such a call is asked not to panic, and to call UNFPD at (904) 620- 2800.

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