Bomb threat made at RWU (EastBayRI.com)

Bomb threat made at RWU
5/9/11 12:23PM

By Jill Rodrigues

BRISTOL -- A foreigner taking classes at Roger Williams University allegedly made a bomb threat to a university employee on Thursday, May 5 when he was told he wouldn’t be served food because the dining center wasn’t open at the time.

The Bristol Police Department responded to the university at 7:50 a.m. last Thursday for a report of a bomb threat allegedly made by Abdulrahman Khalid Althuwayb, 25, a Saudi Arabian citizen who resides at 286 Wood St. in Bristol.

Police say their investigation found that Mr. Althuwayb threatened a university dining services supervisor when the supervisor declined to serve him food before the dining center had opened. Mr. Althuwayb was reportedly told to return to the center the following day when the center was open.

The dining services supervisor and another food service employee reported that Mr. Althuwayb then said: “OK, don’t worry. Today is the last day, and tomorrow I blow the walls out.”

Mr. Althuwayb was taken into custody at the university campus on a charge of making bomb threats and similar false reports. He was arraigned on Thursday, May 5, in the Sixth Division District Court and held on $10,000 bail. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has set a detainer for Mr. Althuwayb.

Mr. Althuwayb is enrolled in the ELS Learning Center Program and attends courses at Roger Williams University.

On the following day, May 6, Roger Williams University sent this letter:

Students, Faculty and Staff –

Some of you may have noticed the presence of law enforcement officers on campus yesterday, and we wanted to take a moment to provide key facts related to the situation.

Early on Thursday morning, an employee working at a Roger Williams dining facility observed actions on the part of an individual that seemed suspicious. That employee informed our Public Safety team, and officers responded immediately. After gathering initial information, Public Safety contacted the Bristol Police Department.

At that point, Bristol Police initiated a full investigation and our Public Safety team has been closely cooperating with local authorities since then. The Bristol Police interviewed the individual in question, came to campus to gather additional information and during the course of the investigation, arrested the individual. The person is now being detained as the judicial process continues, and the University has issued a no-trespass order. Bristol Police has asked us to withhold further details at this point.

Please know that the safety of each and every member of the RWU community and of any visitors to our college is absolutely paramount on this campus. Had Public Safety or the local authorities identified any immediate concerns related to the safety of the campus community, the University would have notified you via our emergency communications tools.

Should you have any concerns or information to share, we urge you to contact Public Safety at x3611.

Sincerely,

John King

Vice President for Student Affairs

John Blessing

Director of Public Safety