Five community colleges in the Denver area were closed or suspended after threats were made.
Police later said the email threats received by some at some universities in the early hours of Friday morning were a hoax and “a form of human attack”.
Officials with the Colorado Community College System said Arapahoe Community College, Aurora Community College, Denver Community College, Front Range Community College and Red Rock Community College were under threat.
Aurora Community College is on shutdown as classroom instruction continues, but campus buildings and grounds are safe.
All other colleges were closed that day.
Additionally, the University of Colorado at Boulder said that while the campus was not threatened, it canceled all classes and events as a precaution. CU Colorado Springs said it was also closed for the day.
“We are working closely with campus security teams and law enforcement agencies to monitor the situation,” Colorado Community College System officials said.
“Some universities are currently in lockdown protocols; we encourage students, faculty and staff to check their institution’s website for campus-specific information.”
Police in Westminster, Colorado, said officers contacted a person of interest on Friday and “it appears that these threats appear to be a form of targeting of this person.”
