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University of Iowa student arrested in connection with false fire alarm at dorm

No campus-wide alert was posted because officials knew it was a false alarm.
Old Iowa State Capitol (Iowa City, Iowa)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A University of Iowa student has been charged with making a false report of an active shooter that prompted a swift police response and the evacuation of a residence hall.

The school says 18-year-old Harrison Tsimouris was arrested after the incident Saturday evening and is charged with filing a false report to a public entity.

Burge Residence Hall was evacuated around 5 p.m. Saturday after a student called police to report he had received a text message from a friend about an active shooter. The student’s friend urged him to contact police.

University police officers arrived as students were being evacuated. Minutes later, the student who made the initial report called the police department to say his friend had gotten back in touch with him to say he was joking.

University officials say they didn’t send a campus-wide alert because they quickly concluded the threat wasn’t credible.

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