CHICAGO, IL – Multiple libraries in Illinois faced unsettling bomb threats on Tuesday.
According to reports the alarming series of events began Tuesday started when, at approximately 2:00 PM, the Addison Public Library received an online bomb threat. This prompted the closure of the Village and Library campuses as the DuPage County Bomb Squad conducted a thorough search, ultimately finding the threat to be unfounded.
Shortly after Addison’s scare, at 2:41 PM, Aurora Public Library District also received an online bomb threat. Officers ordered evacuations at all three branches, with thorough searches revealing no danger.
Later in the day, at around 5:00 PM, Schaumburg Township District Library received a chat-based threat, leading to a swift evacuation. Preliminary searches found no suspicious items. All threats proved to be false.
The multiple threats came hours after Illinois Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias testified Tuesday morning before the Senate Judiciary Committee on book bans and their impact on liberty and literature.
An investigation into the origins of the threats remains ongoing with area agencies. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards up to $5,000 and anonymity to people who furnish information leading to the arrest of felony crime offenders and the capture of felony fugitives.
Bomb detection units along with canines from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Joliet Police Department, Fox Valley Park District Police Department, DuPage County Bomb Squad, Addison Police Department, and Schaumburg Police Department assisted in the responses.
