Iowa State students face terrorism charges over alleged social media threats
Two Iowa State University students have been arrested and charged in connection to social media posts that warned people to avoid two buildings on the Ames, Iowa, campus, on Tuesday.
Two freshmen students — Ty Jerman, 19, and Abdullateef Malallah, 18, both of Ames — have been charged in Story County, Iowa, with one count each of threat of terrorism, which is a felony.
University police say the charges stem from two posts made on Yik Yak, a social media platform that allows users to post anonymously, with those posts visible to people within a 5-mile radius.
One post warned people not to go to Carver Hall, an academic building, on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. A second post warned people to avoid Parks Library.
Police said Jerman and Malallah have "no known connection" and the posts on YikYak were made separately.
"While there is no indication that either student planned to enact violence against the campus community, actions of this nature are treated as a serious crime," the Iowa State University Police Department said.
Iowa State University Police, the FBI and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation identified and monitored those who made the posts Monday night and determined it wasn't necessary to close the university. It worked with administrators on safety measures as a precaution, a news release said.
"Based on the fact that the posts contained a specific location, referenced a time and used the same language associated with other prior acts of violence, ISU Police investigators and the Story County Attorney determined there was probable cause to arrest and charge" the two suspects, the release notes.
Jerman and Malallah have preliminary hearings scheduled for March 7. Bond for each suspect was set at $250,000 cash, court records show.
Bring Me The News has reached out to authorities for more information.
