University Mall given all-clear after bomb threat determined to be hoax

Tuscaloosa police said Friday that a morning bomb threat at University Mall turned out to be hoax.

At about 10:30 a.m., officers responded to the University Mall after mall staff received an emailed bomb, said Stephanie Taylor, a spokeswoman with the Tuscaloosa Police Department.

The mall remained open while officers conducted a thorough security check of the premises and determined the threat to be a hoax, Taylor said. An all-clear was declared shortly after 11 a.m., she said.

Although there was no indication the threat was valid, nearly two dozen officers responded with assistance from the University of Alabama Police Department. Officers and K-9s checked all interior and exterior areas of the property before deeming it safe, authorities said.

Investigators suspect that the same individual or group responsible for recent threats to government buildings, residences, businesses and places of worship across the country and state is likely behind this hoax as well.

Taylor said Tuscaloosa Police Department investigators have been in contact with federal authorities who are actively investigating these false threats.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: University Mall given all-clear after bomb threat