Univ. of Central Florida student found dead in dorm room; explosives discovered

ORLANDO, Fla. -- An undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida apparently  committed suicide in his dorm room, and campus evacuations were ordered after explosives, an assault rifle and a handgun were found in the residence, officials told The Times on Monday.

“There is no ongoing threat. What we’re dealing with now is the improvised explosive devices -- removing those and making them safe," said campus spokesman Grant Heston.

Officials announced that the Orlando campus, which was shut down through the morning, is reopening at noon EDT.  All explosive devices will be removed from Tower 1 before then, officials said.

The student was found dead in his bedroom of a four-bedroom suite in the Tower 1 residence hall. Authorities were called to the dorm at 12:20 a.m. after a fire alarm sounded and police received reports of a man with a gun, Heston said.

"University police responded immediately," University of Central Florida Police Chief Richard Beary said in a statement. "The safety of our students in Tower 1 and our entire campus community is our top priority."

Along with the body and weapons, authorities found a number of improvised explosive devices, according to a university statement.

Officials have not released the student’s name, age or hometown, Heston said. He would not say whether other students were in the dorm suite at the time of the incident. The campus spokesman said it was not clear what might have caused the student to arm himself.

For the complete Los Angeles Times story, go here.