Man jailed after threatening to bomb the University of Glasgow

A man has been jailed after threatening to bomb the University of Glasgow.

Owen Ferguson posted chilling references to mass shootings on social media and called the statements “a laugh”.

Ferguson, 26, was sentenced at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last month after admitting a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, Herald Scotland reports.

The court heard that on Sunday 1st December last year, Ferguson phoned Police Scotland claiming to be a student at the university. He expressed safety concerns about attending campus the following morning.

One of the posts from his former X account read: “I’ll be coming into the uni tomorrow with knives and napalm bombs. Let’s see if I can beat Hamilton’s high score.” The reference is believed to be to Thomas Hamilton, the Dunblane massacre shooter.

Posts from the account, which operated under the name  “Jaja” (@newjiggerALLAH), were still live at the time of his arrest.

via X

Other messages appear to have targeted different organisations, including the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald.

Just minutes after his initial call to police, Ferguson contacted the university himself and was put through to campus security.

Prosecutor Gemma McKechnie told the court: “He told an officer he was going to bring devices into the university premises and detonate them. He went into detail about the devices, including the make and model of them.

“He said he would attend at 11:30am the following day and said the security officer should have the building evacuated.”

Police traced the calls to Ferguson, who was staying at St Andrew’s Hostel in Kilmarnock at the time. When officers arrested him the next day, his only question was whether the university evacuated.

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A search of his hostel room uncovered a notepad containing drawings and references to mass shootings in the US and New Zealand. Officers described finding around 100 pages of scribbles and lists, with annotations that included references to films and violent incidents.

Defence solicitor Brian Holliman said Ferguson had a “longstanding and chronic difficulty with alcohol” and had been heavily intoxicated when making the threats. “When sober, his explanation of this behaviour makes no rational sense,” he added.

At the time of his offence, Ferguson had been out of prison for about a month. He holds an extensive criminal record dating back to 2020.

Mr Holliman told the court: “He thought it would be a laugh to have the university evacuated. He set up the social media account deliberately that day to antagonise and provoke reaction.

“Having posted, he made the calls to police and the university to ensure the message had been noted. He wanted a reaction and wanted to know what that was.”

The solicitor argued the 26-year-old had cooperated fully with police after his arrest and that there was no genuine intention to carry out the threats. The notes in his room were just “random comments he made on matters he had a passing interest in,” rather than evidence of serious intent.

He further acknowledged that Ferguson understood a custodial sentence was unavoidable but requested that the court take into account the early stage at which he entered his guilty plea.

Sheriff George Jamieson said: “This is a disturbing matter, very serious behaviour. This will be marked by a prison sentence.”

Ferguson was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment, backdated to 3rd December 2024, the date of his arrest.

The University of Glasgow has been approached for comment.

Featured image via Canva and X