The Air Force Academy on Friday assured the public it is remaining vigilant after reports surfaced that it could be a target for a terrorist attack.
The academy released a statement in response to its mention in an online publication advising individuals to target specific sites in the United States, Israel and Great Britain.
“We are aware that the Air Force Academy was mentioned in a recent online publication. We remain vigilant and maintain all the appropriate protocols of a military installation to include force protection and being cognizant of existing and emerging threats. Our primary concern is always the security and the safety of the cadets, our personnel and the thousands of visitors who come to USAFA every year,” the statement said.
The Insite Blog on Terrorism and Extremism reported this week that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was calling for lone-wolf jihadi attacks on specific targets and offering guidance on how to pull them off.
Other suggested U.S. targets, according to the blog, were Times Square in New York City, Las Vegas hot spots, oil tankers and trains.
The other military academies reportedly on the list were the Georgia Military College in Milledgeville and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Camberley, England, where British army officers are trained.
The al-Qaeda publication included instructions on how to make a pressure-cooker bomb such as the one used in the Boston Marathon attack, and how to build car bombs.
Air Force Academy officials would not comment on specific details of their security strategy, including whether alert levels had been elevated.
This weekend at the Air Force Academy is parents weekend, with thousands of cadet family members on campus for the opening football game and other activities.
