St. Thomas student arrested, charged in bomb threat hoax
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A University of St. Thomas student was charged Tuesday for making hoax bomb threats to the university's St. Paul campus.
U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald's office announced that 20-year-old Ray Ghansham Persaud, a third-year commuter student, has been charged with calling in the threats. The charges follow an investigation conducted by the FBI and St. Paul Police Department.
According to a statement from MacDonald's office, Persaud allegedly made three hoax bomb threats against the University of St. Thomas this year. The alleged threats happened in April, May and September. All three prompted evacuations and closures at the St. Paul campus.
Investigators were able to trace the origin of the Sept. 17 calls to Persaud's home address in Blaine, Minnesota.
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Persaud was arrested Tuesday morning, and has been suspended and legally prevented from being on the school’s St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses.
“I am very relieved that a suspect has been identified and arrested and that our community is not in danger from these hoax threats,” St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan said in a statement.
When Persaud allegedly phoned in his first threat in April, the university evacuated and closed down its entire St. Paul campus, including a child care center. That safety measure included having caregivers wheel infants in cribs out to the sidewalk, according to an affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court in the case.
Correction: Due to an error in a news release, an earlier version of this story included an incorrect date for the Sept. 17 call.
