'Credible Threat' at Middle Tennessee State

Middle Tennessee State University was shut down Thursday around noon after authorities determined there was a "credible threat" to campus, according to Sidelines. The announcement was made after multiple university officials received E-mails Wednesday and Thursday threatening the student body, and authorities responded to three suspicious small fires set in a dorm Thursday.

According to the campus police chief, at least one of the E-mails references "killing, bombing, and destruction," but does not specify a location. Authorities are still unsure whether the fires and threats are related.

Classes have been canceled for the rest of the week as state and local police sweep the campus, with their weapons drawn, according to the Tennesseean, looking for a male suspect. Officials did not reveal why he is being sought.

MTSU is one of the largest undergraduate colleges in Tennessee with almost 24,000 students, most of whom live off campus. Class will restart October 15, after a previously scheduled fall break.