Bomb threat called in to LJCC

On the morning of Jan. 18, local law enforcement as well at the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to a bomb threat to the Levite Jewish Community Center on Montclair Road.

LJCC executive director Betzy Lynch said the center received a phone call around 9 a.m. that stated there was a bomb in the building. The center immediately put their corresponding protocol in place, which states to evacuate the building and contact the Mountain Brook Police Department, the Birmingham Police Department, the K-9 unit and the local FBI.

Lynch said that as far as she is aware, this is the first bomb threat to be called in to the LJCC.

Upon arrival, Lt. Sean Edwards with the Birmingham Police Department said dispatchers met with staff, who then walked them through the area and discussed the phone call. Edwards said the phone call was categorized as a "robo-call." The Birmingham Police also met with the local FBI who was present at the community center upon hearing about the bomb threat.

"We responded and we assisted the local police as well," said FBI spokesman Paul Daymond. Edwards said the area was given the all-clear around 11:30 a.m.

Sarah Whiteside, Head of School at The Altamont School, confirmed the school was placed under "code blue" procedures until law enforcement cleared the area. Code Blue is enacted when there is potential danger in the proximity and generally states that no one enters or leaves the school and activities continue as normal, she said.

The call to the LJCC comes in succession as a second wave of bomb threats assessed at a number of other Jewish Community Centers around the country today, according to Reuters. The Los Angeles Times also reported that bomb threat calls had been made in California, Connecticut, Miami, New York, Massachusetts and Tennessee. 

While Daymond was unable to comment on the reasons for the call or on the relation of the nation-wide bomb threats, he said that the investigation is ongoing. "If it [the call to the LJCC] relates to others across the country, that will be part of the investigation," he said.