A Humboldt State University freshman says he was only joking when he went on the social media app Yik-Yak and threatened to bomb the campus, according to HSU Police Chief Donn Peterson.

University police questioned the student, Liang Huang, after working overnight Sunday to track down the source of the threatening messages. Peterson said his department has no choice but to take such threats seriously. “It’s like at an airport: There’s certain things you just don’t say.”

According to screenshots obtained by HSU student newspaper The Lumberjack, Huang wrote, “I’m gonna *kaboom* HSU” and later responded to another Yik-Yak user with this:

“I can’t really speak to his frame of mind,” Peterson said. On the one hand, he added, “We were all young. I’m sure I would cringe if I went back and looked at what I said when I was 18 or 19.” On the other hand, Peterson said, “I would hope I didn’t say anything that could get me kicked out of school.”

Is that a possible consequence for Huang? Peterson said he doesn’t know for sure since university administration keeps such student disciplinary measures confidential. 

“I would say that anything he faces from the university will probably be more consequential than anything he’ll face from Ms. Fleming,” Peterson said in reference to Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming.