A student at the University of Illinois Chicago was arrested on Wednesday, November 4, after university officials said the student first tried to use an incendiary device in a second-floor hallway of the Student Center East building and then tried to stab another student with a large knife. The targeted student was not injured, bystanders and campus staff helped detain the suspect, and the building at 750 South Halsted Street was evacuated and closed while police investigated, according to the university and ABC7 Chicago (WLS).
UIC sent a campus alert at about 12:39 p.m. on Wednesday urging people to avoid Student Center East as the incident unfolded, the university said. The alert went out while the disturbance was still moving inside the building, and students inside were ordered out as UIC police responded to the second floor.
Source: ABC7 Chicago (WLS)
What happened on the second floor
University officials said the sequence began with an attempt to use an incendiary device in a second-floor hallway of Student Center East, before the same student allegedly tried to stab another student on the same floor. UIC has not described the device in detail, and investigators have not said whether it ignited. The presence of a suspected incendiary device is what turned a campus incident into a multi-agency investigation within hours.
Students who were inside described a fast, chaotic scene to ABC7 Chicago. Student Kaleb Miller said he saw a butcher knife during the incident. Other witnesses described a bottle being thrown, liquid spilling onto the floor, and the targeted student slipping, kicking out at the attacker and running as the suspect allegedly tried to stab him more than once. Student Simon Dean said he heard a commotion and then saw people on the floor while police ordered someone to get down, and student EJ Johnson said officers were backing up with weapons in hand as people shouted for everyone to get out of the way. These are witness accounts reported by ABC7; investigators have not yet published their own full account of the sequence.
Bystanders and campus safety personnel detained the suspect before UIC police took the student into custody, according to the reports. UIC said the student who was targeted was not stabbed and was not injured. No other injuries were reported in the university's statements or in the local coverage.
Federal agencies join the investigation
The FBI said it was aware of the incident and was supporting the investigation alongside several other law enforcement agencies, and personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) also responded, according to the reports. Federal involvement is standard when a suspected incendiary device is involved, because such devices fall under federal explosives law as well as state criminal law — which is also why the question of charges in this case may not be answered by campus or city police alone.
Student Center East was evacuated and remained closed while police worked the scene, and the university said there was no threat to the wider campus community. UIC said the building was expected to reopen on Thursday, November 5, and the university offered support resources to students and staff affected by the incident.
Confirmed by UIC and ABC7 Chicago: an arrest was made, an incendiary-device attempt and an attempted stabbing were reported on the second floor, the targeted student was not injured, and the FBI and ATF are assisting. Not yet public: the arrested student's name, any motive, a detailed description of the device, and the charges to be filed.
Why this matters beyond one building
Student Center East is one of the busiest student buildings on UIC's Near West Side campus, a short distance from downtown Chicago, and the incident is the kind that universities plan their alert systems around: a fast-moving threat inside a crowded public building in the middle of the teaching day. The alert reached the campus at 12:39 p.m., the building was emptied, and the suspect was in custody the same afternoon — the sequence officials will now examine minute by minute. For the many Indian and Punjabi families in Illinois whose children study in Chicago — including international students far from home — the case is a reminder to keep campus alert apps switched on and to know a building's exits, the two steps safety officials repeat after every campus incident.
What happens next
The arrested student's identity and motive have not been released, and no charges had been announced in the reports available early Friday. The joint investigation — UIC police with the FBI and ATF among the agencies assisting — will determine what charges follow and whether campus safety procedures need changes, according to the reports. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when charges or the suspect's identity are officially released.