Police evacuate students from University of Central Florida campus housing (bombs found)

[Cooley Hurd]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-ucf-evacuation-20130318,0,2393949.story

University of Central Florida students were evacuated early this morning because of a "suspicious death" at a housing site on campus.

UCF spokesman Chad Binette said UCF police officers currently are investigating the incident at The Towers housing site, and few details are available now.

Students are being encouraged to go to the campus student union, Binette said.

Shortly before 1 a.m., social-media users began reporting that students were being evacuated from The Towers. According to various Twitter users and several emails sent to the Sentinel, armed law-enforcement officers were evacuating the student-housing location and areas around it after an unidentified incident.

Binette said the death was reported in Tower One of the housing site.

By 2 a.m., some social-media users were reporting that they had received an official alert from the university that also cited the death.

At 2:30 a.m., evacuated students still were not being allowed back into their housing areas at The Towers. The housing site is located near the UCF Arena, the Bright House Networks Stadium, and restaurants and retail shops in the heart of the campus. It can house as many as 2,000 students. Binette said Tower One can house as many as 500 students.
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[UnrepentantLiberal]

1. Sounds like the police were expecting a shooting rampage.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Update: UCF PD: Material found in dorm points to planned campus attack (includes video)

Student James Oliver Seevakumaran, 30, was found dead overnight in a dorm room at Tower 1, an on-campus living quarters near the school's arena that houses about 500 students. Officials said they believe Seevakumaran died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Watch: Suspicious death forces evacuation

Shortly after investigators were called to look into the student's death, several suspicious devices were found somewhere inside the building. An assault weapon, a handgun and a number of explosives were discovered in a bag inside Seevakumaran's room.

"Police found an assault weapon and what appeared to be improvised explosive devices," UCF Associate Vice President Grant Heston said.

Officials immediately evacuated the building, displacing hundreds of students. Many students believed the evacuation was simply a fire drill, but they learned later what really occurred through a series of text message alerts.

At a news conference on Monday, the campus Police Chief Richard Beary said that the material and notes found in the dorm makes it appear that an attack on campus was planned.


Read more: http://www.wesh.com/news/central-florida/UCF-PD-Material-found-in-dorm-points-to-planned-campus-attack/-/11788162/19355414/-/format/rsss_2.0/-/hap4j0/-/index.html#ixzz2NyEdArEt