Apparent AIgenerated bomb threat shuts down St. Ignatius College Prep on Near West Side
Jan 09, 2026
Classes were canceled Friday at St. Ignatius College Prep after an apparently AI-generated bomb threat at the Near West Side school. The school, located at 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd., received the threat around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, John Chandler, president of the academy, confirmed to the Sun-Times. Chan
dler said there was "no credible threat" of a bomb at the school but classes were canceled for precautionary reasons. "We take safety and security at the school very seriously," Chandler said. Chandler said the voice recording of the threat was “very robotic sounding." Local investigators told him they suspect the recording was apparently AI-generated. Chicago police responded to a call of service at the school and the FBI were in contact with the school and local law enforcement. No further information was immediately available.
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