KRGV.com

AUSTIN - Students at the University of Texas at Austin are preparing for a quiet night after a chaotic morning on campus.

A man claiming to be a member of al-Qaida called university police and said he would destroy the campus. University officials issued an emergency alert to clear all the buildings.

"Sirens were going off, people were coming out," Dashiell Johnson said. "I checked my text and it said that all students should get away from the buildings."

The first texts notified students of the possible danger.

"The first text said, ‘Immediate danger, evacuate immediately,'" Jay Egger said.

"I didn't know what to think so I locked my door because I thought it was a shooter," Egger said.

"In the Valley we have lockdowns ... this was different," Yvonne Moreno said.

"With the lockdowns, it's usually passing immigrants ... we were used to it," she said. "Here it was a frenzy. It was a shock."

Federal officials now are investigating the terroristic threat.