A phone call reporting a bomb threat around 4 a.m. sent police swarming the Islamic Academy of Alabama in Homewood, where officers and bomb-detection dogs combed the campus and surrounding streets before administrators could even open the doors for the school day. No evidence turned up that anyone had approached or entered the grounds before officers arrived, and school leaders say the investigation into who made the call is still unfolding.
According to ABC 33/40, the threat was reported to police by phone around 4 a.m., prompting officers to conduct a search of the school and the surrounding area near 25th Court South using bomb-detection dogs. School administrators reviewed security camera footage and found no evidence of suspicious activity or anything indicating someone had approached or entered the campus, the station reported. Law enforcement told school officials there is no evidence of an imminent threat to the school community, according to the same report.
Academy Vows Heightened Vigilance in Coming Days
Police plan to maintain an increased presence around the campus in the coming days, including additional patrols and stops, per the station's reporting. The academy's security officer will be particularly vigilant during that stretch, and the school has asked parents to reassure students and remind children not to interfere with officers who may be stationed nearby.
“We take every threat against our school very seriously, regardless of its origin or intent,” Sohaib Chekima said, according to the outlet's account. Chekima also referenced that threats of this nature can occur during periods of heightened political activity and attention, though investigators have not said whether that played any role in this case. “We will never assume that a threat is harmless,” he added.
The school has asked anyone with observations of suspicious activity or other relevant information to contact police and notify school administrators. Officials say the school will share updates as more information becomes available, and the investigation into the threat remains ongoing.
Part of a Wider Pattern of School Threats
The Homewood incident lands amid a broader run of phoned-in threats against Alabama schools. Police, state and federal officials were investigating threats to at least three schools across the state within less than 48 hours, according to WVTM 13, which reported that authorities described the investigation as ongoing. That reporting noted all of the threats arrived in the same manner — a threatening phone call or voicemail.
Among the other cases WVTM 13 detailed, Hoover police were notified by Hoover City Schools of a threatening voicemail left after hours at Deer Valley Elementary School on Jan. 27, 2026, and said afterward there were no indications of an active threat to any Hoover school. Separately, law enforcement agencies issued an all-clear following a reported bomb threat at an Addison Elementary School, where a caller had claimed an explosive device was on campus.
Alabama lawmakers have moved to respond to the pattern. Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 7 into law on April 10, 2026, strengthening criminal penalties for those who make terroristic threats in schools and other public spaces, according to a statement from the Office of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.
School Has Faced Scrutiny Before This Threat
The Islamic Academy of Alabama, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, has been in the news for reasons beyond security in recent months. The school withdrew its application to relocate to Hoover last December after the city's planning and zoning commission rejected the proposal amid public backlash, according to al.com. Reporting on the enrollment figures has varied, with al.com describing the school as having about 260 students while ABC 33/40 has cited an assistant principal overseeing 270 students.
National reporting has also placed the Homewood school's experience within a larger trend. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, anti-Muslim bigotry complaints, discrimination, hate crimes and school bullying rose sharply after October 7, 2023, and that trend continued upward for two years, NPR reported. CAIR's tracking also described anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies as surging in 2025, per the same report.
