Hostages Taken, Released at College

A former student claiming to have a bomb held nearly two dozen students and an associate professor hostage Tuesday before releasing them unharmed, authorities said.

At one point, there were 23 people inside the Fairfield University classroom. The suspect, identified only as a recent graduate, freed the hostages a few at a time throughout the evening. He was taken into custody about an hour after the last student was released.

Nancy Habetz, a spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic school in southwestern Connecticut, said the suspect “came out and gave himself up peacefully.”

Fairfield First Selectman Kenneth Flatto said the package the student claimed was an explosive device was left in the classroom and was being examined by a bomb squad.

The suspect took over a religious studies class in Canisius Hall late Tuesday afternoon, Habetz said. Some 300 students were evacuated from the building.

WCBS-TV in New York said the suspect ordered one of the hostages to call the station, demanding that a statement be read over the air. The statement, which station spokeswoman Karen Mateo described as “rambling and anti-Semitic,” was not broadcast.

The class, “Voices of Medieval Women,” is taught by Elizabeth A. Dreyer, an associate professor. Her husband, John Bennett, spoke to his wife after her release.

“She’s OK, she says the man is clearly disturbed, and she said she wants to see me,” he said.

Evening classes were canceled and students held a prayer service in one of the residence halls, student Joni Saunders said.

Canisius Hall is home to the academic vice president, the College of Arts and Sciences, the university registrar and other offices as well as faculty offices and classrooms.

The school, founded in 1942, has about 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Fairfield is about 20 miles from the New York state line.