Nothing found at AUC --- Third false bomb scare for the year on St. Maarten.
Cupe Coy: --- A bomb threat was reported at the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) on Monday morning. According to information reaching SMN News students and all other personnel had to be evacuated from the building. SMN News understands that this incident occurred around 9: am while a number of police officers were at the location evacuating the building.
Efforts made to reach Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson proved futile as he is not responding to his phone calls, no other member of the management team of KPSM could be reached by phone when the news broke Monday morning.
After this article was published SMN News managed to make contact with Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson by phone who said that AUC received an email around 8:30 am informing them that a bomb is on the premises. Henson said AUC immediately contacted the police and they went to the location where they diverted traffic and began evacuating the building. Henson said both the police and school’s security were busy clearing the entire building while they are also gathering members of KPSM search team who will begin searching to locate the bomb if there is any on the location. He said the email that was sent to AUC did not indicate where on the premises the bomb was located therefore the search team will have to search the entire building and its surrounding areas.
At 12:30pm police concluded search of AUC building and its surrounding areas said police spokesman Ricardo Henson. Henson said the search team did not find anything at the location, therefore all students and personnel were given clearance to go back into the building while all roads leading to the area were reopened.
On Monday morning members of the management team also rushed to AUC to facilitate the evacuation and search of the building as they considered such a threat to be of top priority.
It should be noted that this is third bomb threat received on St. Maarten for the year, the first was at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE), one at the St. Ports Facility and on Monday at the AUC. It is clear that someone seems to be doing their best to exhaust the police force or to see how effective the justice system on St. Maarten is, thus far the ones behind these hoax failed however, St. Maarten and its law enforcement officers have to be on the lookout and most of all do their very best in finding the perpetrators that are behind these false alarms. Even though each of the threats turned out to be a hoax thus far at no time such threats can be taken lightly because no one knows when such threats or hoax can be a reality.
Bomb threat at AUC
On Monday August 31st 2015 at approximately 08.30 a.m. the Police Department received a call from personnel at the American University of the Caribbean located in Cupe Coy reporting a bomb-threat on the premises of that medical school. The personnel at the medical school also stated that the threat was sent via e-mail. The police immediately sent several patrols in the area in order to divert traffic and to assist the school security with the evacuation of the premises and other surrounding buildings. More than 250 persons were evacuated. The fire department and ambulance department were on standby in the immediate vicinity to respond immediately if necessary.
A police search team together with several school security officers did a complete sweep of the all buildings on the premises. The search ended at approximately 12.30 p.m. without the team finding any bomb or any other explosive device. After the “all clear” report was given by the search team, the students, personnel of the school and other persons in the area were allowed back on the premises of the school and to the other buildings in the area. The diversion of traffic was lifted and allowed to flow normally.
The forensic department will be conducting an investigation on the origin of the Email and the persons who are responsible for making this threat. The making of this type of threat, whether fact or fiction is a very serious criminal act and is punishable by law.
KPSM Police Report.
