Police announced Friday afternoon that the video had been posted by a social media user in Europe who was not part of the "Ohio University" group.
Ohio University Police Department received a report early Friday morning that a social media user posted an anonymous video containing an alleged threat to campus.
The video appeared in a feed for the campus area on the anonymous location-based social media app Yeti and threatened the safety of "American students," according to a news release. The app allows users to post and view images associated with college-based user groups.
Police originally thought the video had been posted in the "Ohio University" group. In a news release Friday afternoon, they announced the video had been posted by a social media user in Europe who was not part of the "Ohio University" group.
Because much of the app is location based, the person who reported the video thought the threat was made in the Athens area, according to the release. But the video showed up in the feed based on key words within the post, not because the user was in Athens.
The release commended the person who reported the video, stating "it is always best to take threats seriously."
OU's Athens campus remained open, and the graduate commencement ceremony continued as scheduled at 9:30 a.m. in the Convocation Center, according to the initial news release. OUPD increased security measures and staffing at the event.
Public schools throughout Athens County closed today, a move the release described as "an abundance of caution."
The FBI assisted with the investigation, according to the news release.
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