Bomb-anthrax threat closes Missouri college

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A Missouri college was closed down on Tuesday after a student claiming to have a bomb and anthrax threatened to destroy a building on campus, school and law enforcement officials said.

Twenty-three people, including nine faculty and students from the University of Missouri-Rolla, underwent a decontamination process and a bomb squad was searching a civil engineering building for any hidden explosive devices, said college spokeswoman Mindy Limback.

Officials were trying to determine what the white powdery substance was, Limback said.

Police were called to the college, which has about 5,500 students and is known for a specialty in technology and engineering, about 2:30 a.m. after receiving a report of a student threatening "terrorist-type actions," the university said.

Police apprehended the suspect and said his actions appear related at least in part to issues with his schoolwork.

"The suspect has given several different stories," said Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse in a press conference "Our belief is ... the suspect has been distraught over schoolwork."