A St. Thomas student is facing federal charges for allegedly calling in bomb threats three separate times to the St. Paul university.
Ray Persaud, 20, of Blaine was arrested this morning in connection to the hoaxes. The university says he was a commuter student in this third year at St. Thomas.
— Univ. of St. Thomas (@UofStThomasMN) September 24, 2019
According to the criminal complaint, the string of threats started in April when Persaud called three times in one morning saying there was a bomb on campus. The entire campus was evacuated including a child care center.
The FBI learned the calls came from from an app called TextMe that allows users to have multiple telephone numbers.
The next bomb threat came Aug. 20 and the campus was against evacuated and closed. It happened again on Sept. 17 through a different app.
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Investigators eventually traced the calls to Persaud's address in Blaine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He makes his first court appearance at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
In a statement, University President Julie Sullivan said Persaud has been suspended while they conduct their disciplinary process. He could face expulsion if "found responsible."
Today, an individual was arrested by federal law enforcement for making the three hoax bomb threats against the University of St. Thomas. The suspect, Ray Persaud, age 20, will now be subject to the criminal process in federal court. The press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office is available here.
I am very relieved that a suspect has been identified and arrested and that our community is not in danger from these hoax threats. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the St. Paul Police Department. I am grateful to those officials and to the St. Thomas employees who supported the investigation.
I am extremely saddened to report that the suspect is a third-year undergraduate student at St. Thomas. He is a commuter student who resides in Blaine, Minnesota. He has been trespassed from our St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses, which means that he is prohibited by law from being on St. Thomas property. He has been suspended while we conduct our disciplinary process. If found responsible, he will face immediate expulsion from St. Thomas.
Our community is likely to have mixed emotions about today’s news. Counseling will be available to students, staff and faculty who are impacted by this arrest.
Our St. Thomas community has demonstrated great care for one another in response to these threats. I want to reiterate the importance of maintaining our resilience, solidarity and support for each other as we process this news.
