University of Texas at Austin evacuation: University alert says 'get as far away as possible'

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The University of Texas at Austin was evacuated Friday "due to threats on campus," according to an alert on the university website.
Photographer: YNN AUSTIN

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Posted: 09/14/2012

By: CNN Wire Staff

(CNN) -- A bomb threat prompted evacuation of the University of Texas at Austin on Friday, though authorities determined there was no threat to campus, a university spokeswoman said.

Police and federal authorities, including a bomb squad, had investigated the threat.

About 51,000 students attend the flagship university, which is located in central Texas. University spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon said that at any time up to 70,000 people could be on campus.

A second bomb threat also surfaced Friday at North Dakota State University, which ordered a campus-wide evacuation. Federal authorities have since responded to the threat, said Fargo Police Department Lt. Joel Vettel.

Associated Press info below:

University of Texas director of communications Rhonda Weldon says the university received a call about 8:35 a.m. from a man claiming to be with al-Qaeda. The man said he'd placed bombs all over the campus that would go off in 90 minutes.

Ms. Wheldon says all buildings were evacuated at 9:50 a.m. as a precaution.

North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D., also ordered a campus evacuation Friday morning. But it was unclear whether the two evacuations were related.