Four days after a lone gunman singled out Christians for slaughter on a college campus in Roseburg, Oregon, the FBI and the ATF issued an alert to all Philadelphia area colleges and universities to be on the alert for violence today, October 5, after a threat of violence was made in social media.
NBC Philadelphia reports that the FBI released the following statement:
Out of an abundance of caution, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office notified local colleges and universities of a social media posting which threatened violence at a Philadelphia-area college or university for Monday, October 5.
No specific college or university was identified in the posting. 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.
Officials have not revealed where they found the threat. However, several reports have mentioned a post on the popular imageboard website 4chan in which a user writes:
On October 5, 2015 at 1:00 PM CT, a fellow robot will take up arms against a university near Philadelphia. His cries will be heard, his victims will cower in fear, and the strength of the Union will decay a little more.
Below is the actual message posted on 4chan, calling on all “robots” to join the “Beta Rebellion”:
↓Click image below to enlarge↓
Bi-racial Oregon shooter Chris Harper-Mercer, who wrote he would be “welcomed in Hell and embraced by the devil,” reportedly had also posted a warning of impending violence on the same 4chan website.
Another alert sent to Temple University students and faculty provided more details on the Philadelphia threat. A Temple University official wrote:
Temple University, along with other colleges and universities in our region, has learned from the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) that a threat of violence has been made online against ‘a university near Philadelphia. This posting states an action could take place at 1 p.m. central (2 p.m. eastern) Monday, Oct. 5, 2015.
Temple University, Drexel University and Villanova University have all notified their students, faculty and staff of the alert. Their respective campus police are coordinating with Philadelphia and nearby police.
Drexel University plans on increasing patrols on campus Monday. Drexel students are urged to call Drexel Public Safety at 215-895-2222 or 911 if they noticed any suspicious activity, person or package.
Villanova students are urged to be aware of your surroundings and to report any suspicious activity or behavior to the Department of Public Safety at 610-519-4444.
H/t James Tracy
The pace is quickening. Can you feel it?
I expect Obama and the Left to use this purported threat of violence against Philadelphia as one more piece of ammunition in their call for gun control. (See DCG’s “Obama goes beyond mere gun control, hints at confiscation“)
~Éowyn
