Federal and local authorities are investigating a bomb planted on the campus of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Fla., a historically Black institution, that they say was designed to kill. Based on telephone calls, authorities are treating the incident as a hate crime and are offering a $10,000 reward for information about the crime. A caller told the university and a TV station that the bomb was set off to "kill n��s."

Speaking at a Sept. 15 press conference, FBI agent Matt Pellegrino announced the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the bomb, which malfunctioned. "I would not want to have been in the building. It was potentially a very dangerous device, a deadly device," he said.

Shortly after the Aug. 31 bombing, FAMU President Frederick Humphries had said the incident didn�t appear to be serious. The device ignited in the bathroom of Lee Hall and sounded like something had fallen, reports say. University officials said security has been tightened and the incident is serious. Mr. Humphries� office is located in the building where the explosion occurred.

The school and local television stations received calls from a man claiming responsibility for the bomb, saying he wanted to kill Blacks.

Mike Robert, the assignment editor at WTXL-Channel 27 in Tallahassee, told The Final Call he received a call from a male at 1:15 p.m. the day of the explosion. " �Y�all better get over to FAMU�s president�s office, Lee Hall,� the caller told me," Mr. Robert said. The caller went on to use a racial epithet saying, "I just told them I put a bomb in the building. I think I talked to the last white boy in there and told them we need to get rid of some of these n��s."

Mr. Robert told The Final Call that when WTXL sent a news van to the campus, their reporter interviewed Thomas Cavano, a white janitor at the school. Mr. Cavano said he received a call at 1:10 p.m. the day of the explosion warning him of the bomb.

Mr. Robert said this was close to the call he received, when the caller said he had warned "the last white boy" in the building. Both calls actually came minutes after the bomb was detonated.

WTXL reporter Ethan Forehetz also received a call on Sept. 9, from someone saying they had planted a bomb at the Leon County Civic Center, where Andrew Young was to address NAACP leaders. Authorities swept the building but found nothing.

The FBI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FAMU Police, the Leon County Sheriff�s Office, Tallahassee Police, and the ATF are all working on the case that still has no suspects or even a physical description. Authorities are asking students or faculty who were in and around the building at the time of the explosion to come forward with any information that may lead to an arrest. The FBI is leading the investigation into the domestic terrorism case.