More Details Emerge About Threat Against Area College

More information is emerging about a social media threat against an unnamed Philadelphia-area college or university that prompted an FBI warning over the weekend.

The FBI on Sunday informed all Philadelphia-area colleges of a recent social media post that threatened an act of violence on Monday afternoon at college or institution “near Philadelphia.”

According to published reports, the threat was posted Friday on 4chan, an anonymous message board. Chris Harper-Mercer, the man behind last week’s shooting in Oregon, reportedly used the same site to post a threat before his deadly rampage.

Philly.com obtained a photograph of the threat, which reads:

“This is only the beginning, . . .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.”

The post shared by Harper-Mercer included an image of a cartoon frog holding a gun, and the threat against the Philadelphia-area college had a similar image, Philly.com reported.

Meanwhile, the threat has put local law enforcement and area colleges on alert.

Bucks County Community College said it is working closely with local law enforcement officials. The college will operate on its normal schedule Monday. However, BCCC officials say students and staff are encouraged to be “aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity.”

“BCCC Security continues to closely monitor the situation and is working with local law enforcement,” Bucks County Community College said via Facebook.

Drexel University issued a public safety advisory informing their students of the threat.

“Since the shooting last week at a community college in Oregon, the FBI has seen similar social media postings throughout the country,” the University wrote in their advisory. “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 said they plan to provide increased patrols on Monday and are coordinating with the University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Police.

Villanova University has also issued a similar warning to its students, reports NBC Philadelphia. In a similar advisory, they tell students authorities have no knowledge of a specific threat, they have notified the Radnor Police Department and have increased safety patrols.

Local police say they are in communication with school officials.

“We take the attached FBI alert information very seriously. In order to be as informed and safe as possible concerning this safety warning, the Newtown Township Detective Bureau has been doing their due diligence in communicating with the college campuses within Newtown Township -- Bucks County Community College, LaSalle University and Holy Family University,” Newtown Township Police said.