UPDATE (4:20 p.m. PT): Updated to include second arrest in the state of Missouri for threats made on the social media service Yik Yak.
Police at the University of Missouri arrested a suspect Wednesday who reportedly made threats against black students and faculty in the midst of racial tensions gripping the Columbia campus.
Hunter M Park, a 19-year-old white male, was arrested "for making a terrorist threat." He was taken to the Boone County Jail and held in lieu of $4,500 bond, cops said.
Park, who is not a student at the university, was never "on or near the university's Columbia campus when the threat was made," according to a statement posted on the company's alert system.
His mugshot was posted by local crime reporter Kim Bell on Wednesday morning.
Jail releases mugshot of man arrested in Rolla for making terrorist threat. @alexdstuckey @stltoday pic.twitter.com/fkAVOTNszS— Kim Bell (@kbellpd) November 11, 2015
"We had additional officers on patrol last night and the campus remained safe," Major Brian Weimer said in a statement. "We investigated a number of reports and tips and take every one of them seriously."
Weimer told The Associated Press that additional officers were already on campus before the university learned of the threats. University police were working with other state and local agencies to ensure the campus was secure, he said.
The posts began circulating on the anonymous location-based messaging app Yik Yak and soon spilled over to other social media platforms, causing concerns on students on campus.
One threat said: "Some of you are alright. Don't go to campus tomorrow." The message seemed to echo one that appeared on the website 4chan — a forum where racist and misogynistic comments are common — ahead of the deadly campus shooting at an Oregon community college last month.
Students shared screenshots of the posts on Twitter.
Someone posted a yik yak saying not to go to campus tomorrow because he will shoot up the school so I'm pretty much freaking terrified— Morgan Grooms (@morgangrooms11) November 11, 2015
At one point Tuesday evening, several students walked off campus in protest over the threats.
Student gov walks in unison to black cultural center bc shooting threats to black protesters #ConceredStudent1950 pic.twitter.com/bzYjrKNxwg— collier meyerson (@collier) November 11, 2015
Some stayed home on Wednesday over concerns for their safety, and several local businesses closed their doors amid the fears.
The online threats kept people away from @Mizzou's campus. @Starbucks & #Campus Bar & Grill closed pic.twitter.com/2vgzTi0oVS— Andres Gutierrez (@AFGutierrez) November 11, 2015
A university spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for further comment, but the school's online emergency information center tweeted, "There is no immediate threat to campus," and asked students to not spread rumors.
On Wednesday, students on Yik Yak questioned if police had fully halted the threat.
"Unless all 6 of the threats I saw last night were from one person, I expect more from MUPD," one wrote. Another posted, "People here are legitimately crazy. I'm still not going to class."
As Yik Yak posts are shared anonymously, law enforcement officially presumably worked with the platform to find out details about the suspect. Yik Yak cooperates may provide information to police and other law enforcement officials without a subpoena, warrant or court order when a post poses a risk of imminent harm, according to the company's legal guidelines.
Another student, this time at Northwest Missouri State University, was also arrested for making threats on Yik Yak in a separate incident. 19-year-old Connor Stottlemeyer was arrested at his dorm on Wednesday morning
Northwest Missouri State University student Connor Bryce Stottlemyre arrested for campus threats on Yik Yak pic.twitter.com/MdmmMadhEj— FOX2now (@FOX2now) November 11, 2015
And
Yik Yak cofounder Brooks Buffington responded to the threats by issuing a statement on the threats, calling them "both upsetting and completely unacceptable."
"Let’s not waste any words here: This sort of misbehavior is NOT what Yik Yak is to be used for. Period," wrote Buffington. "It is not condoned by Yik Yak, and it violates our Terms of Service."
The threats are the latest development in a semester of racial tension. The student government president reported in September that people shouted racial slurs at him from a passing pickup truck, galvanizing the weeks long protest movement targeting what they said was systemic racism on campus.
A graduate student went on hunger strike to demand the resignation of university system President Tim Wolfe over his handling of racial complaints, then more than 30 members of the Missouri football team went on strike in his support.
Those developments came to a head Monday with the resignation of Wolfe and hours later, the top administrator of the Columbia campus, Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin, was forced out. The university has promised changes.
Chuck Henson, a black law professor and associate dean, was appointed Tuesday as the university's first-ever interim vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity.
The university system's governing body, the Board of Curators, also announced a number of other initiatives, including more support for the hiring and retention of diverse faculty and staff and a full review of all policies related to staff and student conduct.
Additional information from the Associated Press.