Federal Bureau of Investigation

FBI, ATF Warn Philadelphia-Area Colleges of Unspecified Threats

No specific college or university was identified in the posting.

The FBI and the ATF issued an alert to all Philadelphia colleges and universities after a threat to area schools was posted on social media.

In a statement, the FBI notified local colleges and universities “out of an abundance of caution” to the threat of violence directed at Philadelphia-area schools for Monday, October 5.

“No specific college or university was identified in the posting,” the statement read. “We encourage students, faculty, and employees at area colleges and universities to follow the guidance of their campus security officials.”

“The FBI will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigate threats of violence, and, as always, we ask the public to report suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

Drexel University alerted their students and staff of the threat in a post on their Public Safety page.

"Although the FBI has assured us there is no specific threat to a particular college or university, we are taking this very seriously and are taking extra precautions to protect the Drexel community," Drexel University's statement said.

The school announced it will increase patrols on campus Monday and that they are working with University of Pennsylvania Police and Philadelphia Police to assure they have the latest information. Drexel police officers and Allied Security officers are also aware of the threat and will be vigiliant to report and investigate any suspicious person or package. 

School officials urged Drexel students to call Drexel Public Safety at 215-895-2222 or 911 if they notice any "suspicious activity, person or package."

Villanova University officials also sent an alert to all students, faculty and staff notifying them of the threat.

"The University has notified the Radnor Police Department and is working in conjunction with them to enhance protection of the campus," Villanova Public Safety Director David Tedjeske said. "In addition, the Public Safety Department has increased security patrols. We ask that you remain aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity or behavior to the Department of Public Safety at 610-519-4444."

In a Twitter post, Temple University notified students and faculty to monitor their emails for "an important public safety message from Temple police."

The Temple's student news program Temple Update tweeted the email reporting an "action could take place at 1 p.m. CDT (2 p.m. EST) Monday, Oct. 5, 2015."


NBC10's David Chang and Deana Harley contributed to this report.

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