Texas A&M University is increasing police protection for its Corps of Cadets during formations and organized activities, citing concerns over terrorism tied to the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran and recent shootings in Texas and Virginia.
In a letter to cadets, Corps Commandant Lt. Gen. James Bierman said campus police will provide overwatch during corps formations, increase patrols around corps buildings, and deliver an active-shooter briefing on Tuesday, Fox 7 Austin reported.
“With the real and unpredictable threat of terrorism, your vigilance remains critical,” Bierman wrote. “Homegrown terrorist attacks can emerge without warning; these are often carried out by individuals or groups already within our communities.”
Bierman noted he raised terrorism concerns with cadets shortly after the Iran conflict began.
“Among other topics, I voiced concerns about the threat of terrorism at home and abroad,” he said. “At that time, we had already seen a domestic terrorist attack in our own state capital.”
Bierman pointed to a March 1 shooting in downtown Austin that killed three people and wounded more than a dozen outside a bar on Sixth Street, as The Dallas Express reported. Bierman also referenced last week’s attack at Old Dominion University, where a gunman killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah during an ROTC class and injured two other U.S. Army personnel, DX reported.
“This attack on an ROTC unit was intentional and symbolic,” Bierman wrote.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office said ROTC cadets subdued the shooter, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, ending the attack and rendering him no longer alive.
University officials said they will continue monitoring the situation and reevaluate the need for heightened security measures as conditions evolve.
