Acting under an “abundance of caution,” U.S. authorities have warned joint terrorism task forces of a possible attack from al Qaeda in Texas and two other states on the day before the election, according to a CBS News report early Friday morning.
According to the report, Texas, New York and Virginia are suspected targets of a potential attack on Monday, though intelligence officers have not confirmed the credibility of the threat, according to the report.
“It is not unusual for there to be an increase in the volume of threats leading up to significant events like holidays, or even an election,” said Jeff Pegus, CBS News homeland security correspondent.
In a statement Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his office is working with law enforcement.
“Texans should go about their daily lives as usual, but remain vigilant over the next several days and report any suspicious activity to state or local law enforcement,” Abbott said in his statement. “The State of Texas will continue to do everything it can to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.”
A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement “DPS is constantly in touch with fellow law enforcement and intelligence officials, including our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners.”
“We can also assure Texans that we adjust our level of vigilance to meet any potential or emerging threats, and will also adjust our security measures as threats warrant,” spokesman Tom Vinger said in a statement.
Reporters Johnathan Silver and Patrick Svitek contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2016/11/04/report-texas-faces-possible-al-qaeda-attack-monday/.